I understand that often the opposite of the 'for-' prefix is 'back-', ie. "forwards" and "backwards," "foreground" and "background." But what is the opposite of 'foreshadowing,' 'forgiven' or 'forthright?' 'Backshadowing?' 'Backgiven?' 'Backright?'
Does 'for-' have different anit-prefixes for different situations?
Best Answer
The "fore" in "foreshadowing" is a different prefix, etymologically speaking, from the "for" in "forgiven," and both are different from the "forth" in "forthright." Because they are etymologically distinct, each will have its own "opposite" prefix.
"Fore," as in "foresight" and "foreplay," means "prior," so some of its opposites are "hind-", "post-", and "after-".
The "for" in "forgiven," according to Oxford American, isn't actually a prefix; the word came down in one whole multisyllabic chunk from the Dutch "vergeven."
And the "forth" in "forthright" comes from the same root as the "for" in "forwards," so its opposite would likely be "back," as you mentioned, or "trans."