Morphemes in “impoliteness”
“impoliteness” has 3 morphemes: in- + polite + -ness.
im
prefix
+
polite
root
+
ness
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are in- + polite + -ness.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| in- (written im) | derivational prefix | bound | not (form of in- before b, m, p) |
| polite | free root | free | showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc. |
| -ness | derivational suffix | bound | state or quality of being |
How the word is built
polite → impolite → impoliteness
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “polite” 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 "impoliteness"?
"impoliteness" has three morphemes: in- + polite + -ness.
How do you break "impoliteness" into morphemes?
in- + polite + -ness. The root is "polite"; in- is a derivational prefix, -ness is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "impoliteness"?
The root of "impoliteness" is "polite", built up as polite → impolite → impoliteness.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.