The prefix un- before many words reflects an opposite meaning from the root word it precedes.
For example, unaltered and unflawed indicate something that has been left untouched, unmanipulated and undoctored suggest something you can trust even if others tampered with it in some way and underleavened indicates that which has been cooked for too short of a time to allow all of the leavening agents to be fully activated.
As well, unaltered is related to the word unalarm and uneager is not as eager as usual.
However, some other words that begin with un- have similar meanings to the root word they share.
For example, unable suggests something you are unable to do or cannot do—you need help or assistance to be able to do something.
Unaffected indicates something that has not been affected in any way—while this is obviously not a good thing, it does suggest that things are either inconceivable or impenetrable or both: “The prosecution witnesses were unshaken by the defense’s argument.
What is the definition of Unaligated ? · Prefixes Suffixes and Roots
These definitions are defined in dictionaries of the English language to reflect the most common meaning of the root words they share.
However, roots also have another meaning that is not included in dictionaries but is very useful when guessing other words that might be related to them.
1. Unaltered: not changed, as by cutting or adding; not altered.
The word unaltered continues the idea that a root word means something that has not changed in any way since it was first used or is a primitive form of the word.
For example, the shape of an unaltered rock is very different from something carved or shaped.
A rock may have been worked like a chair leg by grinding, but it still looks like a rock—it has never had food placed in it or been decorated with paint. However, something glued on to the rock may make it look different than it would without glue but could still be called an unaltered rock even if painted to look unpainted.
An unaltered rock is primitive—if it were very hard, but not very bright and still had a lot of the minerals found in rocks, it would be considered primitive.
If it were extremely large and weighed many tons, it might be a useful tool but something to make lots of tools out of rather than just one massive one.
An unaltered sound is distinctive and individualistic, making it easy to recognize but something useless if you wanted to use the same sound to communicate with someone else.
It requires an incredible amount of practice for someone to modify the way they speak so that other people can understand what they are saying even if everyone speaks differently.
2. Unalarmed: not alarmed; calm and orderly.
The word unalarmed continues the idea that a root word means something that has not changed in any way since it was first used or is a primitive form of the word.
For example, an alarm is a warning sound made by a bell, horn or other mechanical device and can be heard by anyone who isn’t deaf.
An alarm may also be something that makes you feel nervous or worried, so if something were unalarmed, you would be able to relax and enjoy yourself without having to worry about anyone trying to harm you, your possessions or your reputation.
3. Unaffected: unaffected; unchanged; untainted.
The word unaf- fected continues the idea that a root word means something that has not changed in any way since it was first used or is a primitive form of the word.
For example, after being affected by poison, rats become ill and lose their hair—they are no longer the same creatures they were before they were poisoned.
You can’t be altered or have been altered if you’re affected or have been affected.
An unaf- fected box is one with no water or other liquids in it so nothing can get into it to spoil its contents. It is not an icebox, as it does not keep food frozen.
4. Unalarming: not alarming; reassuring; calm and orderly.
The word unalarming continues the idea that a root word means something that has not changed in any way since it was first used or is a primitive form of the word.
For example, if something is unalarming, it’s unlikely to do you any harm since its effects are unknown but are unlikely to have any beneficial effects either.
If you’re alarmed by something, you’re concerned about its possible effects even if they aren’t proven to be harmful or dangerous—you would be unalarmed by anything with no actual harmful effects.
5. Unalighted: not lighted; unilluminated; of dark color.
The word unalighted continues the idea that a root word means something that has not changed in any way since it was first used or is a primitive form of the word.
For example, if you are playing with a room full of candles and you set them on fire, the flames become unlighted and make the room darker than it was before it started burning.
