I. prefix
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German un- un-, Old Norse ō, ū-, Gothic un-, Latin in-, Greek a-, an-, Sanskrit a-, an- un-, Old English ne not — more at no
1. : not : in- , non- — in adjectives formed from adjectives
un capacious
un gratifiable
un neighborlike
un strenuous
including adjectivally used past and present participles
un camouflaged
un chosen
un dressed
un soothing
and adjectives formed by adding -ed to nouns
un bearded
in nouns formed from nouns
un ostentation
and rarely in verbs formed from verbs
un be
sometimes in words that have a meaning that merely negates that of the base word and are thereby distinguished from words that prefix in- or a variant of it (as im- ) to the same base word and have a meaning positively opposite to that of the base word
un artistic
un moral
2. : opposite of : contrary to — in adjectives formed from adjectives
un constitutional
un graceful
un palatable
un warlike
including adjectivally used past and present participles
un affected
un stinting
and adjectives formed by adding -ed to nouns
un principled
and in nouns formed from nouns
un rest
II. prefix
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English un-, on-, alteration of and- against — more at ante-
1.
a. : do the opposite of : reverse (a specified action) : de- 1a, dis- I 1a — in verbs formed from verbs
un bend
un dress
un fold
b. : cause to cease to — in verbs formed from verbs
un be
2.
a. : deprive of : remove (a specified thing) from : remove — in verbs formed from nouns
un flesh
un frock
un sex
— compare de- , dis- I
b. : release from : free from — in verbs formed from nouns
un hand
c. : remove from : extract from : bring out of — in verbs formed from nouns
un bosom
un heaven
— compare de- , dis- I
d. : cause to cease to be — in verbs formed from nouns
un king
— compare dis- I
3. : completely
un loose
— compare dis- I