rone | it's english nerd time!

You're viewing

rone's journal
Create a Dreamwidth Account Learn More

Reload page in style: site light

Think of the various English words that either end in -less or -ful, but do not have a match with the other suffix in common use; exempli gratia, feckless, bashful, ruthless.

Current Music: Patty Larkin - Italian Shoes

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

morrisa.livejournal.com

Believe it or not, Feckful is actually a word, just not often used, as is Ruthful, though Rueful is the variant now in common parlance. I knew about Ruthful, so I checked on Feckful, then I just kept checking all the ones I thought of, because I'm sick that way.

There are plenty of antonyms of words that end in -less or -ful that are uncommon, more or less unused, like the ones above, but all of which are definitely words. Awless, Lifeful, Hateless, Timeful, Beautiless, Successless, all words, albeit rawther ungainly ones.

But there are indeed oodles that don't have exact equivalents (Though un- might substitute for -less, as in the case of bashful, unabashed, and -ous might substitute for -ful, as in the case of odorless, odorous). I actually had more trouble thinking of words that are truly commonly used with both suffixes, like mercy, thought, art, soul, thank, tune, fear, and faith. Here's some for your list, and they definitely check out. Luckless, Beautiful, Quenchless, Fateful, Beardless, Vengeful, Hapless, Scornful, Flightless, Gleeful, Cashless, Bootless, Mournful, Slothful, Limitless, Resentful, Cloudless, Forgetful, Penniless, Frightful, Kinless.