anti-constitutional
UK[ˌæntiˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃənəl]US[ˌæntiˌkɑːnstɪˈtuːʃənəl]
adj
Opposed to or not in accordance with a constitution, especially a national constitution.
Morpheme Breakdown
anti
constitution
al
anti
against
constitution
fundamental law
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word is a modern English formation, built by adding the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' to the existing adjective 'constitutional.' The term 'constitutional' itself originates from the Latin 'constitutio,' meaning "act of settling, ordinance," from 'constituere' (to set up, establish). The prefix 'anti-' entered English via Latin and French, tracing back to the Greek 'anti,' meaning "against" or "opposite." Thus, the literal morphemic construction yields "pertaining to being against the constitution," a meaning that has remained semantically transparent from its formation to its current legal and political usage.
Analysis
Structure: anti (against) + constitution (fundamental law) + al (adjective suffix)
- anti: From Greek, via Latin and French. A prefix meaning "against," "opposite of," or "preventing."
- constitution: From Latin, via French. The core noun meaning the system of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed.
- al: From Latin. A suffix forming adjectives meaning "of," "pertaining to," or "having the form of."
Examples
The court declared the proposed law to be anti-constitutional and struck it down.
Many citizens viewed the executive order as an anti-constitutional power grab.
The senator's speech argued that the policy was fundamentally anti-constitutional.