Word part · Greek suffix
Suffix -ism words: meaning and 16 examples
In short
The Greek suffix -ism (from Greek) means "a belief, a practice, or a way of acting". Words with it include heroism, patriotism, tourism, journalism, criticism and magnetism. It names an idea, a practice or a way of behaving: heroism, tourism, realism.
- Part
- -ism
- Meaning
- a belief, a practice, or a way of acting
- Origin
- Greek
- Words listed
- 16
It names an idea, a practice or a way of behaving: heroism, tourism, realism. Its partner -ist names the person: tourist, realist.
Words with the Greek suffix -ism
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| heroism | hero (root or base)+ism (suffix)→heroism | acting like a hero |
| patriotism | patriot (root or base)+ism (suffix)→patriotism | love for your country |
| tourism | tour (root or base)+ism (suffix)→tourism | the business of trips and travel |
| journalism | journal (root or base)+ism (suffix)→journalism | the work of gathering and writing news |
| criticism | critic (root or base)+ism (suffix)→criticism | words that point out what is wrong |
| magnetism | magnet (root or base)+ism (suffix)→magnetism | the pull of a magnet |
| symbolism | symbol (root or base)+ism (suffix)→symbolism | the use of symbols to stand for ideas |
| realism | real (root or base)+ism (suffix)→realism | showing things as they really are |
| idealism | ideal (root or base)+ism (suffix)→idealism | believing that things can be made better |
| vandalism | vandal (root or base)+ism (suffix)→vandalism | damaging property on purpose |
| modernism | modern (root or base)+ism (suffix)→modernism | a style of art that breaks with old ways |
| cubism | cube (root or base)+ism (suffix)→cubismdrop the e | a style of art built from cube shapes |
More words: optimism, skepticism
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| favoritism | favorite (root or base)+ism (suffix)→favoritismdrop the e | treating one person better than others |
| impressionism | impression (root or base)+ism (suffix)→impressionism | a style of painting that shows light and feeling |
How do you teach the suffix -ism?
Pair every -ism word with its -ist partner when one exists. A tourist goes on trips; tourism is the business of trips. A journalist writes news; journalism is the work of writing news. Heroism has no -ist partner, but hero is a word every student knows, so the meaning lands fast. Art class gives cubism and impressionism, and science gives magnetism. Keep lists to words a student will meet in school.
A quick routine
Write hero, tour, journal, magnet and real. Say, "Ism names a belief, a practice or a way of acting. Hero plus ism is heroism: acting like a hero." For each word, the student adds the suffix and explains the idea it names. Then add -ist to tour and journal and ask how the two words differ. Close by asking the student to use heroism in a sentence about a story you've read together.
What do students mix up with -ism?
Prism ends in i-s-m, but pr is not a word, so there is no suffix there. Criticism keeps the c of critic in spelling yet says it as /s/. Students also mix up -ism and -ist in writing. Ask, "Is it a person or an idea?" before they choose.
Some of these words change spelling where the parts join. The spelling rules pages cover dropping e, doubling and changing y to i. For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the suffix -ism mean?
-ism means "a belief, a practice, or a way of acting". It is a Greek suffix. It names an idea, a practice or a way of behaving: heroism, tourism, realism. Its partner -ist names the person: tourist, realist.
What are some words with the suffix -ism?
Start with heroism, patriotism, tourism and journalism. Then move to favoritism and impressionism. This page lists 16 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
What is the difference between -ism and -ist?
An -ism word names an idea, a practice or a way of acting, and an -ist word names a person connected to it. Tourism is the business; a tourist is the traveler. Journalism is the work; a journalist does it.
Related word parts
- -ista person who does, plays or studies
- -izeto make, or to become
- -nessthe state of being
- -ichaving to do with, or like
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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