I don't have references for this, but I would be inclined to refer to your unnamed elements as superstrings, because your question is not really about prefixes, but about (prefixed) substrings; and a string that contains substrings can easily and logically be referred to as a superstring. (If you want to be more specific about it, you could call them "containing superstrings", which seems more appropriate in your example 2.)
Answer from Hellion on Stack ExchangeCambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › grammar › british-grammar › prefixes
Prefixes - Grammar - Cambridge Dictionary
Prefixes are letters which we add to the beginning of a word to make a new word with a different meaning. Prefixes can, for example, create a new word opposite in meaning to the word the prefix is attached to. They can also make a word negative or express relations of time, place or manner.
Top answer 1 of 2
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I don't have references for this, but I would be inclined to refer to your unnamed elements as superstrings, because your question is not really about prefixes, but about (prefixed) substrings; and a string that contains substrings can easily and logically be referred to as a superstring. (If you want to be more specific about it, you could call them "containing superstrings", which seems more appropriate in your example 2.)
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You would probably do well to use the word elongation.
ban is a prefix substring of banana so banana is an elongation of ban.
The word extension came to mind first, but in computer science, extension refers frequently to a filetype extension following a dot, so that could be confusing when used in a separate context. Elongation carries the same meaning without the risk of confusing readers or listeners.
Per Merriam-Webster definition 2:
a : the state of being elongated or lengthened; also : the process of elongating
b : something that is elongated
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-prefix-of-the-word-place
What is the prefix of the word place? - Quora
“Place” does not have a prefix. You can add prefixes to place”, for example, “replace” meaning to put something else in the place of something that has gone missing or been destroyed.
Englishmirror
englishmirror.com › english-grammar › opposite-with-prefix2.html
List of Opposites with Prefix words with Examples
Opposite with Prefix like -Ab, Anti, De dis, Ig, Im, Il, In, Ir, Mal, Mis, Non: "Ab, Anti, De dis, Ig, Im, Il, In, Ir, Mal, Mis, Non are common negative prefix words in English." This negative prefix list can help you understand these prefixes that can change a word's meaning into its opposite.
Pressbooks
ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub › greeklatinroots › chapter › §58-prefixes-denoting-place
§58. Prefixes Denoting Place – Greek and Latin Roots: Part I – Latin
December 15, 2016 - The shaded cube can be regarded as the representation of any space, affected by the various prefixes in the manner shown. Just as super- and sub- can be viewed as a pair of semantic opposites, so can ad- (“to” or “toward”) be regarded as the opposite of a(b)- (“away,” “away from”). Ad-, which we won’t really be able to appreciate until we have some learned some verb vocabulary, has a bewildering tendency to assimilate with almost every consonant of the alphabet.
WordHippo
wordhippo.com › what-is › the-opposite-of › place.html
What is the opposite of place?
Antonyms for place include remove, clear, clear away, clean up, take, take away, carry away, carry off, take down and take off. Find more opposite words at wordhippo.com!
WordHippo
wordhippo.com › what-is › the-opposite-of › prefix.html
What is the opposite of prefix?
Antonyms for prefix include cease, complete, conclude, end, finish, follow, stop, abate, bate and deduct. Find more opposite words at wordhippo.com!
Antonym.com
antonym.com › place
Opposite word for PLACE > Synonyms & Antonyms
place (Middle English (1100-1500)) plæse (Old English (ca. 450-1100)) noun. ['ˈpleɪs'] a point located with respect to surface features of some region. unbelt · unbuckle · unbutton · detach · worsen · break · winterize · pool · point · birthplace ·
Power Thesaurus
powerthesaurus.org › place › antonyms
PLACE Antonyms: 509 Opposite Words & Phrases
Discover 509 antonyms of Place to express ideas with clarity and contrast.
Orchids The International School
orchidsinternationalschool.com › home › english concepts › prefix : prefix used to write opposite words for class 3 english
Meaning of Prefixes with examples | Prefixes and Suffixes | ORCHIDS
In this chapter, the students will learn about prefixes that are used to write opposite words. They will learn about the uses of prefix, common errors made while using them and exceptions to the prefix rules.
ThoughtCo
thoughtco.com › in-front-of-opposite-1211249
Difference Between 'In Front of' and 'Opposite'
April 28, 2025 - If you find that you have difficulty ... as well as related synonyms, correctly. "In front of" and "opposite" are both prepositions of place, which tell you where something is located....
Thesaurus.com
thesaurus.com › browse › place
1693 Synonyms & Antonyms for PLACE | Thesaurus.com
Find 1693 different ways to say PLACE, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/latin › what would be the opposite of the prefix 'sub-'?
r/latin on Reddit: What would be the opposite of the prefix 'sub-'?
April 10, 2021 -
I'm trying to figure out the literal opposite of the word 'subsequent'. Would it be 'prosequent'?
Top answer 1 of 12
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Normally the opposite of 'sub-' would be 'super-', but it does not make sense to change it in subsequens.
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I'm trying to figure out the literal opposite of the word 'subsequent'. Would it be 'prosequent'? There are a lot of hidden questions here. For instance, do you need a real English word? Because if you do, then you won't find it ending in -sequent. Another question is how literally you mean the word literally, or rather what granularity. Do you want a literal semantic antonym? If so, then former would work. Do you want a literal morphological antonym? That seems to be it... You want a prefixed form that just employs the "opposite" of sub-. The problem with that is that the prefix sub- here isn't being used in a strictly "literal" way. If sub means "under" and super means "over," which they do, then you ought to have your answer, but not only does supersequent not exist in English (yet), it also might not mean what you want it to in its supposed Latin origin. That would depend on a Latin speaker's usage of the hypothetical word. However.... There is a secondary or tertiary meaning of super, which deals in time, where it means "former" or "earlier," so you might be able to swing it... I don't know if the word supersequor is at all attested (I'm away from my resources at the moment), but there's a good chance that if you used it in ancient Rome they might understand your intention. But once again, it's not (yet) an English word (until you use it).
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-opposite-of-a-prefix
What is the opposite of a prefix? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): You are probably looking for ‘suffix’, which is added to the end of a root construction. In ‘surprising’, ‘-ing’ is a suffix. Also in ‘surprisingly’, ‘-ing’ is a suffix (and not an infix), and ‘-ly’ is a suffix. English doesn’t generally have infixes, though there are some emphat...
Thesaurus.plus
thesaurus.plus › antonyms › place
More 90 Place Antonyms. Full list of opposite words of place.
More 90 Place antonyms. What are opposite words of Place? Displace, remove, unemployment, dislodge. Full list of antonyms for Place is here.
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › thesaurus › place
PLACE - 105 Synonyms and Antonyms - Cambridge English
Beware of that slick place on the sidewalk. ... There's a place on Main Street that has great hamburgers. ... He was given an important place in the incoming government. ... We're having a party at my place. He retired to a little place in the country. ... New York's a nice place to visit. This is the place where the storm hit. ... Place the chair in that corner. ... The employment agency placed her with an insurance firm.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/etymology › there are many prefixes that essentially mean 'the opposite of': non-, anti-, a-, un-, in-, dis-, mis-, etc. what is their background and why does the english language have so many similar prefixes?
r/etymology on Reddit: There are many prefixes that essentially mean 'the opposite of': non-, anti-, a-, un-, in-, dis-, mis-, etc. What is their background and why does the English language have so many similar prefixes?
July 28, 2016 -
To expand on this a bit, there are many of these prefixes which have seemly identical uses. Are there slight variations in their meaning? Why are there so many? Is the abundance of such prefixes related to the English language's diverse origins?
Top answer 1 of 4
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Are there slight variations in their meaning? Generally yes, though they are subtle and not entirely consistent. dis-, un-, and de- often (but not always) imply that something had a characteristic that has been removed. non- or a- mean something is simply absent or missing. mis- doesn't fit as well here as some of the others do. it implies negativity or something incorrect, anywhere from a mild mistake to intentional hostility or hatred. anti- is the only one here that actually means 'opposite' or 'opposed to'.
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a-, un-, and in- are all cognates, descended directly (and entirely regularly) from the Proto-Indo-European negator *ne 's zero-grade form *n: a- is Greek in- is Latin un- is Germanic non- is also from *ne , being the Latin negator ultimately derived from the sequence ne ūnus ("not one" -- compare English "none")
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › thesaurus › place
PLACE Synonyms: 468 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
Synonyms for PLACE: location, venue, site, spot, where, position, locality, locus; Antonyms of PLACE: unemployment, avocation, joblessness, take, remove, relocate, replace, displace
Reddit
reddit.com › r/linguistics › opposite of the prefix "in-" for words like "indefinite"?
r/linguistics on Reddit: Opposite of the prefix "in-" for words like "indefinite"?
April 10, 2022 -
So the ways of using "in-" I'm curious about would be for words such as "in-definite" or "in-determinate".
Now I know the opposite of those words would be definite and determinate respectively, but just honing in on the "in-" part for those uses, what would be the explicit opposite prefix? I don't think it's "ex-" or "en-"...
Any input will be greatly appreciated :)
Top answer 1 of 4
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The prefix "in-" is a latin prefix meaning not, similar to the germanic presfix "un-" (eg. in the word unhappy) so the oppesote prefix would just to not have a prefix at all. I understand why it can be confusing since the prefix "in-" also can mean inside, as in introvert and in that context the opposite prefix would be "ex-" as you said.
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in~ is a negation operator, meaning "not". So your question really asks "what is the opposite of not?", which makes no sense because "not", as said, is a logical operator, already meaning "the opposite of". It is not an attribute that could have opposites on its own. The only remotely "opposite" thing, I can think of, are emphasis or accumulation operators in the meaning of either "very" or "aways". I can't think of any actual examples other than "ever", but sometimes prefixes like "super" or "extra" are used, even though they actually mean different things.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › thesaurus › places
PLACES Synonyms: 457 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
Synonyms for PLACES: locations, venues, sites, spots, localities, locales, positions, points; Antonyms of PLACES: avocations, unemployments, takes, removes, relocates, replaces, displaces, supersedes