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Main definitions of un- in English

: un-¹ un-²

un-¹

Translate un- into Spanish

prefix

1(added to adjectives, participles, and their derivatives) denoting the absence of a quality or state; not.
‘unabashed’
- ‘unacademic’
- ‘unrepeatable’
1. 1.1The reverse of (usually with an implication of approval or disapproval, or with another special connotation)
  ‘unselfish’
  ‘unprepossessing’
  ‘unworldly’
2(added to nouns) a lack of.
‘unrest’
- ‘untruth’

Pronunciation

un-

/ən/

Usage

The prefixes un- and non- both mean ‘lacking’ or ‘not,’ but there is a distinction in terms of perspective. The prefix un- tends to be stronger and less neutral than non-. Consider, for example, the differences between unacademic and nonacademic, as in his language was refreshingly unacademic; a nonacademic life suits him

Origin

Old English, of Germanic origin; from an Indo-European root shared by Latin in- and Greek a-.

Main definitions of un- in English

: un-¹ un-²

un-²

Translate un- into Spanish

prefix

1(added to verbs) denoting the reversal or cancellation of an action or state.
‘untie’
- ‘unsettle’
2(added to verbs) denoting deprivation, separation, or reduction to a lesser state.
‘unmask’
- ‘unman’
1. 2.1(added to verbs) denoting release.
  ‘unburden’
  ‘unhand’