Words with the suffix -less
-less means “without; lacking; unable to act or be acted on”, from Old English -leas. It makes a word into an adjective.
15 examples of the suffix -less
- helplesshelp + -lessunable to help oneself
- carelesscare + -lesswithout care or attention
- uselessuse + -lesswithout any use
- homelesshome + -lesswithout a home
- fearlessfear + -lesswithout fear
- hopelesshope + -lesswithout hope
- harmlessharm + -lessunable to cause harm
- restlessrest + -lessunable to rest or relax
- endlessend + -lesswithout an end
- worthlessworth + -lesswithout worth or value
- powerlesspower + -lesswithout power or control
- speechlessspeech + -lessunable to speak
- breathlessbreath + -lessunable to breathe easily
- relentlessrelent + -lessunable to relent or stop
- fathomlessfathom + -lessunable to be fathomed or measured
How -less works
The suffix '-less' converts nouns or verbs into adjectives meaning 'without' or 'unable to.' No spelling assimilation variants exist for this suffix, though a final silent 'e' on the base is typically retained (e.g., hope → hopeless).
Watch out: Words like 'unless' and 'eless' may superficially suggest the suffix, but 'unless' derives from 'on + less' as a conjunction and does not carry the 'without' adjectival meaning.
To see suffixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.
Other common suffixes
- -able · capable of
- -ible · capable of
- -tion · act
- -ness · state
- -ly · in a specified manner
- -er · one who performs an action
- -ment · result
- -ful · full of
- -ous · having the quality of
- -ity · state
- -ism · doctrine
- -ist · one who practices or believes in
- -ize · to make or cause to become
- -al · of
- -ance · action
- -ence · action
- -ive · tending to
- -ship · state
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -less mean?
-less means “without; lacking; unable to act or be acted on”. It comes from Old English -leas. The suffix '-less' converts nouns or verbs into adjectives meaning 'without' or 'unable to.' No spelling assimilation variants exist for this suffix, though a final silent 'e' on the base is typically retained (e.g., hope → hopeless).
What are some examples of words with the suffix -less?
helpless, careless, useless, homeless, fearless, hopeless, harmless, restless. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.
Which words look like they have the suffix -less but don’t?
Words like 'unless' and 'eless' may superficially suggest the suffix, but 'unless' derives from 'on + less' as a conjunction and does not carry the 'without' adjectival meaning.
What is a suffix?
A suffix is a word part added to the end of a word. It often changes the part of speech: -ness turns the adjective kind into the noun kindness, and -ly turns quick into the adverb quickly.