- 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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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 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:
"I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors...I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention."
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
And their misunderstanding of their mandate just may start to set the stage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
“This is a big misunderstanding that can easily be resolved,” continued the rapper, who also used the incident to tease his 2026 film, “Street Fighter.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The results also highlighted a persistent misunderstanding surrounding the familiar hurricane "cone of uncertainty."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
The chief explained to everyone that there had been a misunderstanding and that we were only children looking for safety.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
"This could cause some hysteria in the coming months," he said, adding the release of the second batch of files should help to clear up some misunderstandings.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
"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
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
