dis-

dis- — 字首

1. joined to the start of a verb to name the reverse action — undoing, ending, or c

1.字首B1
釋義

解除；逆轉

加在動詞前，表示動作的反向或取消。

joined to the start of a verb to name the reverse action — undoing, ending, or cancelling what the base verb describes.

例句

Otis pressed the button to disconnect the printer from the laptop.

Otis 按下按鈕，把印表機和筆電的連線解除。

dis- + connect = reverse the action of connecting

Camila had to dismount carefully because the horse was still moving.

Camila 必須小心翻身下馬，因為馬還在動。

dis- + mount = reverse getting onto something

同義詞
  • un-

    often interchangeable for reversing actions: 'unfasten' vs 'disconnect' — 'un-' feels more everyday, 'dis-' more formal or technical.

  • de-

    shares the reversal sense for technical verbs ('deactivate', 'demagnetize') but does not attach as widely as 'dis-'.

反義詞
  • re-

    names doing the action again, not reversing it: 'reconnect' rejoins after 'disconnect' separated.

文法句型

dis- + verb

用法筆記

Most productive sense — attaches to many verbs of joining, mounting, building, or activating to name the reversal. Distinguish from sense 4 (dis- meaning 'not', attached to nouns or adjectives).

常見錯誤

❌I want to disremember that day.
✅I want to forget that day.
💡'disremember' is dialectal; standard English uses 'forget', not every verb accepts dis-.
❌Please disopen the box.
✅Please open the box.' or 'Please close the box.
💡'open' is already a state-change verb; the opposite is 'close', not a dis- form.

2. joined to a verb or noun to mean removing from someone a particular quality, ran

2.字首B2
釋義

剝奪；除去

加在詞前，表示剝奪權利或所有物。

joined to a verb or noun to mean removing from someone a particular quality, rank, right, or thing they previously had.

例句

The court ordered the company to disgorge the profits from the illegal contracts.

法院命令該公司交出從非法合約中取得的利潤。

dis- + gorge = forced removal of what was taken in

Anong was disinherited after the family argument over the property in Chiang Mai.

在那場為清邁房產的家庭爭吵後，Anong 被剝奪了繼承權。

dis- + inherit = stripped of the right to inherit

同義詞
  • de-

    overlaps in formal removal ('defrock' a priest = 'disrobe' of office) but tends toward technical or scientific verbs.

反義詞
  • en-

    often grants what dis- removes: 'enable' gives capability, 'disable' takes it away.

文法句型

dis- + verb (deprive of X)

用法筆記

Often used in legal, military, or formal contexts where rights, ranks, or possessions are formally taken away. Distinguish from sense 3: sense 2 removes a thing or quality FROM the person ('disarm' = take weapons away), while sense 3 removes the person FROM a group ('disqualify' = push them out of a contest).

常見錯誤

❌The bank disgave the loan.
✅The bank withdrew the loan.
💡'disgive' is not a word; for everyday removal use 'withdraw', 'cancel', or 'take back'.

3. joined to a verb to name the act of forcing someone or something out of a place,

3.字首B2
釋義

逐出；除名

加在動詞前，表示逐出或除名。

joined to a verb to name the act of forcing someone or something out of a place, group, or formal position.

例句

The school decided to disenroll the student after three terms of missed classes.

學校決定在該生缺課三個學期後將其除名。

dis- + enroll = remove from a list of members

Nila was disqualified from the marathon after taking a shortcut through the park.

Nila 在馬拉松比賽中因抄近路穿越公園而被取消資格。

dis- + qualify = pushed out of a contest for breaking the rules

同義詞
  • ex-

    marks a former role ('ex-member') rather than the act of expelling — 'ex-' is a state, 'dis-' (sense 3) is the event.

反義詞
  • en-

    'enroll' admits to a list; 'disenroll' removes from it.

  • in-

    'invite' draws someone in; 'disinvite' pushes them out.

文法句型

dis- + verb (expel from X)

用法筆記

Overlaps with sense 2 (taking away) but specifically marks expulsion from a group, list, role, or place rather than removal of an abstract quality. Distinguish from sense 2: 'disarm' (sense 2 — take weapons away) vs 'disbar' (sense 3 — expel from the bar).

常見錯誤

❌They were dis-gone from the party.
✅They were thrown out of the party.
💡'dis-' does not freely attach to past participles; use a full verb like 'thrown out' or 'expelled'.

4. joined to the start of an adjective or noun to form a word that names the opposi

4.字首A2
釋義

相反；缺乏

加在形容詞或名詞前，表相反或欠缺。

joined to the start of an adjective or noun to form a word that names the opposite quality, or the lack of it.

例句

Emma showed her dislike of the cold weather by wearing three sweaters at once.

Emma 一次穿了三件毛衣，表明她對寒冷天氣的不喜歡。

dis- + like (noun) = the opposite feeling

There was complete disorder in the kitchen after the children's birthday party.

孩子們的生日派對結束後，廚房一片混亂。

dis- + order = the absence of order

同義詞
  • un-

    covers many of the same opposites ('unhappy' vs 'displeased') — 'un-' is more frequent and feels more neutral; 'dis-' often carries a stronger sense of active opposition.

  • non-

    marks neutral absence ('non-smoker') without judgement; 'dis-' often suggests something undesirable ('disrespect').

反義詞
  • (bare form)

    'like' vs 'dislike', 'order' vs 'disorder', 'honest' vs 'dishonest' — the base word is the positive counterpart.

文法句型

dis- + adjective

dis- + noun

用法筆記

Attaches to nouns ('dislike', 'disorder', 'disadvantage') and adjectives ('dishonest', 'disloyal'). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 attaches to verbs and names a reverse action; sense 4 attaches to adjectives or nouns and names an opposite quality.

常見錯誤

❌She is a very disgood person.
✅She is a very bad person.
💡'dis-' attaches only to certain Latinate adjectives; everyday Germanic adjectives like 'good', 'big', 'old' do not take it.
❌I have disagreement with this plan.
✅I disagree with this plan.' or 'I have a disagreement about this plan.
💡countable nouns formed with dis- usually need an article.

5. joined to the start of an adjective or verb to give the simple meaning of 'not'

5.字首B1
釋義

不；非

加在動詞或形容詞前，表單純的否定。

joined to the start of an adjective or verb to give the simple meaning of 'not' — saying the thing does not happen or the quality does not hold.

例句

Élise tends to disbelieve any news she reads on social media without checking the source.

Élise 看到社群媒體上的新聞時，沒有查證來源就傾向不相信。

dis- + believe = not believe

The teacher and the parent strongly disagree about how much homework is fair.

老師和家長對於合理的作業量看法非常不一致。

dis- + agree = not agree

同義詞
  • un-

    competes for adjective negation ('untrue' vs 'disproven') — 'un-' is the everyday choice for adjectives, 'dis-' for verbs of judgement.

  • mis-

    'mistrust' overlaps with 'distrust' for verbs of judging — 'mis-' suggests wrongly done, 'dis-' suggests not done at all.

反義詞
  • (bare form)

    'agree' vs 'disagree', 'believe' vs 'disbelieve', 'approve' vs 'disapprove'.

文法句型

dis- + adjective (= not X)

dis- + verb (= not X)

用法筆記

Subtle distinction from sense 4: sense 4 names an opposite QUALITY or a contrasting noun ('dishonest', 'dislike'); sense 5 simply negates a verb of opinion or judgement ('disagree' = do not agree, 'disbelieve' = do not believe). Often the two senses blend.

常見錯誤

❌I disknow the answer.
✅I do not know the answer.
💡only a small set of mental-judgement verbs take dis- in this sense; standard verbs of perception (know, see, hear) do not.
❌She disagrees the plan.
✅She disagrees with the plan.
💡verbs in this sense usually need a preposition ('with', 'about', 'on') to introduce the topic.