anti-

a prefix meaning “against,” “opposite of,” “antiparticle of,” used in the formation of compound words (anticline); used freely in combination with elements of any origin (antibody; antifreeze; antiknock; antilepton).

Also before a vowel, ant-.

Origin of anti-

Middle English < Latin < Greek, prefixal use of antí; akin to Sanskrit ánti opposite, Latin ante, Middle Dutch ende (> Dutch en and), English an- in answer. Cf. ante-, and

Can be confusedante ante- anti- auntie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for anti-

Contemporary Examples of anti-

But, in theory, the minute she announces, unauthorized PACs, whether pro- or anti-, will need to chop her name from their titles.
Hillary’s SuperPAC War Proves Yet Again That Campaign Finance Needs a Fix
Michelle Cottle
January 28, 2014
Pro pay for performance, anti-"take whatever you want" healthcare.
A Young Republican Looks Forward
November 13, 2012
Finally, and most importantly, Conservatives need to drop the anti- State rhetoric.
'Does He Care About People Like Me?'
David Frum
November 12, 2012

Historical Examples of anti-

How can you have communion with something “anti- or ultra-human”?
The Vagabond in Literature
Arthur Rickett
They are not only anti- English, but anti-French, anti-American, and at times bitter.
Germany and the Germans
Price Collier

British Dictionary definitions for anti-

anti-

prefix

against; opposinganticlerical; antisocial
opposite toanticlimax; antimere
rival; falseantipope
counteracting, inhibiting, or neutralizingantifreeze; antihistamine
designating the antiparticle of the particle specifiedantineutron

Word Origin for anti-

from Greek anti

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for anti-

word-forming element meaning "against, opposed to, opposite of, instead," from Old French anti- and directly from Latin anti-, from Greek anti "against, opposite, instead of," also used as a prefix, from PIE *anti "against," also "in front of" (see ante). It appears in some words in Middle English but was not commonly used in word formations until modern times.

anti- in Medicine

anti-

pref.

Opposite:antimere.
Opposing; against:antisocial.
Counteracting; neutralizing:antibody.

anti- in Science

anti-

A prefix whose basic meaning is against. It is used to form adjectives that mean counteracting (such as antiseptic, preventing infection). It is also used to form nouns referring to substances that counteract other substances (such as antihistamine, a substance counteracting histamine), and nouns meaning something that displays opposite, reverse, or inverse characteristics of something else (such as anticyclone, a storm that circulates in the opposite direction from a cyclone). Before a vowel it becomes ant-, as in antacid.