misunderstand
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to take (words, statements, etc.) in a wrong sense; understand wrongly.
- Synonyms:
- misinterpret, misapprehend, misconstrue
-
to fail to understand or interpret rightly the words or behavior of.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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misunderstandsimple
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misunderstandssimple
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have misunderstoodperfect
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has misunderstoodperfect
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am misunderstandingprogressive
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are misunderstandingprogressive
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is misunderstandingprogressive
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have been misunderstandingperfect progressive
-
has been misunderstandingperfect progressive
Past
-
misunderstoodsimple
-
had misunderstoodperfect
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was misunderstandingprogressive
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were misunderstandingprogressive
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had been misunderstandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misunderstand
First recorded in 1150–1200, misunderstand is from the Middle English word misunderstanden. See mis- 1, understand
Explanation
To misunderstand is to incorrectly interpret what someone means. If you misunderstand the directions for taking your medication, you might end up feeling loopy or passing out. When a football player misunderstands the coach's instructions, he might make the wrong play. If a baker misunderstands what you ask him to write on your best friend's birthday cake, he might misspell her name. The verb misunderstand adds the "bad" or "wrong" prefix mis- to understand, from an Old English root, understandan, that literally means "stand in the midst of."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We also discovered—without too much surprise—that he often seems to fundamentally misunderstand the works he treasures most deeply.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Nvidia remains undervalued by investors, perhaps because they misunderstand the company’s true data-center dominance.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
What do audiences underestimate or misunderstand about what it takes to make a comedy?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Given this kind of media coverage, is it any wonder that so many people misunderstand the High Court?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
“No, no, you misunderstand me,” said Professor Lupin, now smiling.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Some of its language suggests that, despite several briefings, he completely misunderstands the subject of uranium enrichment—crucial to any negotiation with Iran.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Cameron Berg misunderstands the Catholic Church’s contribution to humanity’s self-understanding in his op-ed “Will the Pope Owe an Apology to AI?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
De Zylva argues this misunderstands the point: "The purpose of the green belt isn't to be green per se, it is to be a buffer to prevent sprawl."
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
“This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site,” said Jose Castañeda, a Google spokesman, in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2026
The evidence is clear: not only does della Porta echo Garzoni’s words, but he misunderstands some of the experiments he claims to have performed, and so misreports them.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"Temperature is one of the most misunderstood variables in wine service," adds Michael Sager, founder of Sager + Wilde wine bar in London.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Being gay and misunderstood, with the unacknowledged pain of it kept inside, was quite literally eating me alive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
John Quincy Adams reminds us that leadership can be ahead of its time, misunderstood in the moment yet essential in hindsight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
But for a film to become a misunderstood classic, it has to be worth paying any attention to in the first place.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
And because a curandera had this power she was misunderstood and often suspected of practicing witchcraft herself.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Mark Joseph Stern: There has been a lot of misunderstanding about exactly what the liberal justices did in B.P.J., and I want to clear that up.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
A pair of diners who left a restaurant without paying a £115 bill - which included a £52 Dover sole - have said it was a "misunderstanding", its owner has said.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Isaacman, an experienced aviator who has flown military aircraft for years, described the situation as a misunderstanding about the FAA’s role in an event like the 250th celebration and the aircraft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
SpaceX’s IPO left Korean broker with no shares after misunderstanding.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Someone got angry at me, and it's kind of hard to explain, but it's a stupid misunderstanding.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
