Suffix · forms adjectives
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "without": care becomes careless.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -less takes a noun and turns it into an adjective meaning "without" or "lacking". From "care" you get "careless" (without care); from "home" you get "homeless"; from "hope" you get "hopeless". The mental formula is: "without [noun]". careless = without care. If you think "without ___", you will almost always land on the meaning.
Be careful: English also has the word "less", which does mean "menos" (I have less time = tengo menos tiempo). But the SUFFIX -less attached to a noun does NOT mean "less": it means "without". careless is not "less care": it is "without care" (descuidado). useless is not "less use": it is "without use" (inútil). Always translate it as "without", never as "less", and you will not slip.
-less is the opposite twin of -ful ("full of"). Learning them as a pair doubles your vocabulary: careful ↔ careless useful ↔ useless hopeful ↔ hopeless The same noun (care, use, hope) gives you two opposite adjectives just by switching the ending.
The rule is straightforward: noun + less. No odd spelling changes.
Almost always you just add -less to the noun, nothing else. The only variation is a final -y, which becomes -i (penny → penniless), exactly as with -ness and -ful. -less attaches to nouns; do not stick it onto a verb.
-less/ləs/ · soft 'luss'
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The suffix -less means "without", not "less". careless = without care.
-less removes (without), -ful adds (full of). They are opposites: careless ↔ careful.
-less goes on NOUNS (home, care, hope), not verbs. Do not invent verb forms with it.
A trick to remember it
Always translate -less as "without": careless = without care, homeless = without a home. And remember its opposite, -ful (full of). Learn the pairs care → careful / careless and you get two adjectives from one noun.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What does the suffix -less mean in "useless"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the opposite of "careful"?
The suffix -less turns a noun into an adjective meaning "without": care becomes careless. In Spanish it usually maps to sin ___.
The ending -less is pronounced /ləs/ · soft 'luss'. For example, "careless".
"care" becomes "careless". It is a typical example of the -less suffix.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.