Morphemes in “overreaction”
“overreaction” has 4 morphemes: over- + re- + act + -ion.
over
prefix
+
re
prefix
+
act
root
+
ion
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are over- + re- + act + -ion.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| over- | derivational prefix | bound | too much; above |
| re- | derivational prefix | bound | again, back |
| act | free root | free | a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body |
| -ion | derivational suffix | bound | action, process or result of |
How the word is built
act → react → overreact → overreaction
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “act” is where the chain starts.
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Prefixes, roots and suffixes with glosses, free and in your browser.
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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 "overreaction"?
"overreaction" has four morphemes: over- + re- + act + -ion.
How do you break "overreaction" into morphemes?
over- + re- + act + -ion. The root is "act"; over- is a derivational prefix, re- is a derivational prefix, -ion is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "overreaction"?
The root of "overreaction" is "act", built up as act → react → overreact → overreaction.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.