Morphemes in “disrespectful”
“disrespectful” has 3 morphemes: dis- + respect + -ful.
dis
prefix
+
respect
root
+
ful
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are dis- + respect + -ful.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| dis- | derivational prefix | bound | not, apart, away; reverse the action |
| respect | free root | free | regard highly; think much of |
| -ful | derivational suffix | bound | full of, having |
How the word is built
respect → disrespect → disrespectful
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “respect” is where the chain starts.
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Segmentation derived from MorphyNet (Batsuren, Bella & Giunchiglia, 2021; CC BY-SA 3.0, built from Wiktionary), with hand-written affix glosses and root meanings from WordNet. Reviewed for classroom use; tell us if you spot an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many morphemes are in "disrespectful"?
"disrespectful" has three morphemes: dis- + respect + -ful.
How do you break "disrespectful" into morphemes?
dis- + respect + -ful. The root is "respect"; dis- is a derivational prefix, -ful is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "disrespectful"?
The root of "disrespectful" is "respect", built up as respect → disrespect → disrespectful.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.