- present participle of misunderstand.
misunderstanding
Americannoun
-
misunderstandings
plural
-
failure to understand correctly; mistake as to meaning or intent.
- Synonyms:
- misconception, error, misapprehension
-
a disagreement or quarrel.
- Synonyms:
- dissension, difficulty, difference, discord
- Antonyms:
- concord
noun
-
a failure to understand properly
-
a disagreement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of misunderstanding
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; mis- 1 + understanding
Explanation
A misunderstanding is what happens when you don't comprehend something correctly. It's also another name for a disagreement, like the misunderstanding you and your sister had about whose turn it was to do the dishes. The result of not clearly understanding someone or something is a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding between teammates can lead to dropped passes and lost points, and a misunderstanding of the pool rules can get you benched for doing a cannonball in the shallow end. You can also call a minor argument a misunderstanding.
Vocabulary lists containing misunderstanding
myPerspectives 8.3
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Words with 15 or More Letters, List 1
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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:
Peter Sparkes, chief executive of the RNLI, said recent events had "generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
When he began practicing urology in the 1980s, the common misunderstanding was that testosterone injections caused prostate cancer, further suppressing research and treatment of testosterone deficiency.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
Francis Fukuyama looks back on the book that put his ideas on the world stage—and the misunderstanding that has dogged him since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Speaking from personal experience, I’ve encountered many a cat misunderstanding from non-kitty people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
They tease me for being a food snob, an easy misunderstanding to play along with, but I'm not that picky about what I eat.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
"If a foundational concept is taught inaccurately, misunderstandings can carry into more advanced science and research," adds Dr. Edwin Johnson, Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Australia, who co-authored the paper.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
“These are basic misunderstandings, mistruths, whatever words you want to use, that could be cleared up in a simple five-minute call.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
"Sometimes people go missing without those close to them realising, through holidays being planned or simple misunderstandings, and so we may not have received a report of any concerns."
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Yet despite your best efforts, you will inevitably encounter misunderstandings, confusion and frustration.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
To avoid future misunderstandings, however, CBS programs would no longer use “a simulated news broadcast within a dramatization” that could confuse listeners.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
