in-

prefix

in, into, towards, within.

“inbeat”

Similar
intra-en-em-im-end-endo-ento-a-
Opposite
out-ex-exo-ecto-
OriginMiddle English in- ← Old English in- ← Proto-Germanic *in →
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Meanings

in-1

prefix

alternative i- · alternative im- · alternative en-

  1. in, into, towards, within.

    inborn, inbound

    2 more examples

    inhold, inmove, intake, inthrill

    infield, infighting, insight, intalk, inwork

    1. Inward (direction)

      inbeat

      2 more examples

      inbend

      incave

    2. Within (position)

      inbreed

      2 more examples

      inburning

      incircle

      Synonyms: intra-, en-, em-, im-, end-, endo-, ento-

in-2

prefix
  1. in, into

    il- before l, e.g. illusion im- before b, m, or p, e.g. imperil ir- before r, e.g. irrigate

    Note: Before certain letters, in- becomes
    1. Into

      imbar

      2 more examples

      imband

      imbarn

    2. Doing; forming verbs.

      inblind

      1 more example

      incloister

    3. Having, possessing

      inaureole

      2 more examples

      imbannered

      incarnate

in-3

prefix
  1. idiomaticUsed with certain words to reverse their meaning.

    ig- before n, e.g. ignoble il- before l, e.g. illegal im- before b, m, or p, e.g. improper ir- before r, e.g. irresistible

    Note: Before certain letters, in- becomes
    1. idiomaticAdded to adjectives to mean not.

      inedible

      1 more example

      inaccurate

      Synonyms: a-, an-, dys-, i-, il-, im-, ir-, mal-

    2. idiomaticAdded to nouns to mean lacking or without.

      ineptitude

      1 more example

      incredulity

    3. idiomaticCannot, unable.

      inappellable

      2 more examples

      inannihilable

      inassimilable

Synonyms & antonyms

prefixWithin (position)

Similar
intra-en-em-im-end-endo-ento-

prefixAdded to adjectives to mean not.

Similar
a-an-dys-i-il-im-ir-mal-non-un-

antonym(s) of “within”

Opposite
out-ex-exo-ecto-

antonym(s) of “within”

Opposite
out-ex-exo-ecto-
Also see
a-an-anti-de-dis-dys-en-end-i-il-im-intra-ir-mal-non-un-

Origin

in- · prefix

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Germanic*in
  3. Old Englishin-“in, into”
  4. Middle Englishin-
  5. Englishin-

PIE word *h₁én Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Germanic *in Proto-West Germanic *in Old English in Old English in- Middle English in- English in- From Middle English in-, from Old English in- (“in, into”, prefix), from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én. More at in.

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in- · prefix

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Middle Englishin-
  6. Englishin-

From Middle English in-, borrowed (in words of Latinate origin) from Latin in-, from Latin in, from Proto-Indo-European *en (cognate to Germanic in-, above). Often borrowed from French in- (e.g. incise, incite, incline, indication), or as French en-, originally from Latin in.

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in- · prefix

  1. Latinin-“not”
  2. Middle Englishin-
  3. Englishin-

PIE word *né From Middle English in-, borrowed (in words of latinate origin) from Latin in- (“not”). Sometimes the Latin word has passed through French before reaching English (e.g. incapable, incertainty, inclement, incompatible). Doublet of un-.

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Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan in-
  • in-reversal of meaning
Czech ne-
  • ne-reversal of meaning
Esperanto mal-
  • mal-reversal of meaning
Finnish epä-
  • epä-reversal of meaning
French in- en-, in-
  • in- en-in, into, towards
  • in-reversal of meaning
Greek εισ-, εν-
  • εισ- (eis-)in, into, towards
  • εν- (en-)in, into, towards
  • α- (a-)reversal of meaning
  • αν- (an-)reversal of meaning
Hebrew אִי, בִּלְתִּי
  • אִי (i)reversal of meaning
  • בִּלְתִּי (bílti)reversal of meaning
Indonesian in-
  • in-reversal of meaning
Italian in-, in-
  • in-in, into, towards
  • in-reversal of meaning
Japanese 不
  • 不 (fu)reversal of meaning
Norwegian Bokmål inn-, ikke-
  • inn-in, into, towards
  • ikke-reversal of meaning
  • u-reversal of meaning
  • van-reversal of meaning
  • mis-reversal of meaning
Persian درون
  • درون (darun-)in, into, towards
Polish w-, nie-
  • w-in, into, towards
  • nie-reversal of meaning
Portuguese em-, in-
  • em-in, into, towards
  • in-in, into, towards
  • in-reversal of meaning
Russian не
  • не (ne)reversal of meaning
Spanish endo-, en-
  • endo-in, into, towards
  • en-in, into, towards
  • em-in, into, towards
  • in-in, into, towards
  • im-in, into, towards
  • i-in, into, towards
  • intra-in, into, towards
  • in-reversal of meaning
Swedish o-, in-
  • o-reversal of meaning
  • in-reversal of meaning
Cite this entry
APA

in-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in-

MLA

“in-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in-.

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