What does the prefix post- mean?
Post- comes from the Latin post, which means "after" or "behind". It shows that something happens or exists after another thing. It is the direct opposite of pre-.
ESEN
Prefix · after / following
post-
Signals time or position after something else: postgraduate, postpone, postwar, postmortem.
Basic
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Post- is very productive today
Post- is one of the prefixes used most to create new words in English today, especially to talk about what comes after an important moment or event, like a pandemic, a match or an election. Careful: the word post on its own, as in "a post on Instagram", is not this prefix: it is a social media publication.
How it is used
Attaches to nouns and adjectives. Takes a hyphen for specific temporal contexts or before proper nouns:
- post- + noun (no hyphen, established words)graduate → postgraduatewar → postwarmortem → postmortemscript → postscript
- post- + noun (with hyphen, specific contexts)pandemic → post-pandemicmatch → post-matchgame → post-gameelection → post-election
How it is pronounced
post-/poʊst/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Root word
With post-
In a phrase
- graduatepostgraduateShe decided to pursue postgraduate studies in environmental law.
- ponepostponeThey decided to postpone the meeting until next week.
- warpostwarThe postwar recovery was faster than most experts expected.
- scriptpostscriptShe added a brief postscript explaining the delay.
- mortempostmortemAfter the project failed, the team held a postmortem.
- cardpostcardHe sent a postcard from every city he visited.
- modernpostmodernThe building's postmodern design mixed old and new materials.
Common mistakes
postmortem = only a medical autopsy
postmortem also means a detailed analysis of what went wrong after an event
"Postmortem" is widely used figuratively: "the team held a postmortem" = they conducted a detailed review of what went wrong. Very common in business, project management, and sports contexts.
postscript = part of a film or play script
postscript (P.S.) = a note added after the signature in a letter or email
"Postscript" or "P.S." = text added at the end of a letter, after the signature. It has no connection to "script" as a screenplay in this context.
A trick to remember it
Think of what comes after the game: post- = after. postgraduate, postpone.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"After the project failed, the team held a ___ to understand exactly what had gone wrong."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is a "P.S." or "postscript" in a letter?
Frequently asked questions
What does the prefix post- mean in English?
The prefix post- signals time or position after something else: postgraduate, postpone, postwar, postmortem.
How do you pronounce post-?
The prefix post- is pronounced /poʊst/. For example, "postgraduate".
Can you give an example of a word with post-?
"graduate" becomes "postgraduate". It is a typical example of the post- prefix.
Other useful prefixes
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