comprehension
Americannoun
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the act or process of comprehending.
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the state of being comprehended.
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perception or understanding.
His comprehension of physics is amazing for a young student.
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capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; power to grasp ideas; ability to know.
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Logic. the connotation of a term.
noun
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the act or capacity of understanding
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the state of including or comprising something; comprehensiveness
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education an exercise consisting of a previously unseen passage of text with related questions, designed to test a student's understanding esp of a foreign language
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obsolete logic the attributes implied by a given concept or term; connotation
Other Word Forms
- miscomprehension noun
- noncomprehension noun
- precomprehension noun
- supercomprehension noun
- uncomprehension noun
Etymology
Origin of comprehension
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin comprehēnsiōn-, stem of comprehēnsiō, from comprehēns(us) “understood” (past participle of comprehendere “to understand,” literally, “to seize together”; comprehend ) + -iō -ion
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.
But pupils will also do a comprehension test by answering questions on a passage in English or Irish.
From BBC
He suggested that the BBC's decision to invite Mr MacKenzie to contribute to a discussion on ethics and journalistic integrity was "beyond comprehension".
From BBC
“The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension.”
From Los Angeles Times
Dark and disturbing, “Good Boy” explores what happens when our pets are confronted with forces beyond their comprehension, and how we as humans often fail to heed our pet’s instincts.
From Salon
"How this illegal alien was hired without work authorisation, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district," he added.
From BBC
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.
