-eous

US/-i.əs/UK/-ɪəs/

suffix

Used with nouns to form adjectives with the sense of resembling or having the characteristics of the suffixed term; similar to -ous.

“righteous, mighteous, thefteous, lighteous, misteous, timeous, wrongeous”

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Meanings

-eous1

suffix

alternative -uous

  1. Used with nouns to form adjectives with the sense of resembling or having the characteristics of the suffixed term; similar to -ous.

    righteous, mighteous, thefteous, lighteous, misteous, timeous, wrongeous

-eous2

suffix
  1. Used to form adjectives meaning resembling or having characteristics of the related term.

Origin

-eous · suffix

From earlier -uous, alteration of -wose, -wos, a variant of -wise, from Middle English -wise, -wis, -wys, from Old English -wīs (“-wise”), under the influence of Etymology 2. More at -wise.

Full word history & related roots →

-eous · suffix

Chiefly from -ous with preceding vowel (compare -ious); compare also Latin -eus; but also by concatenation with English -te (an earlier form of -ty).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

-eous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-eous

MLA

“-eous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-eous. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-eous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-eous.

Source: -eous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.