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
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.
In this episode, April Glaser is joined once again by guest co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at New York University and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.
From Slate • May 8, 2019
In this episode, April Glaser is joined by co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at New York University and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.
From Slate • May 1, 2019
Meredith Broussard, a former software developer who is now a professor of data journalism at New York University, explores resistance to autonomous vehicles in her recent book, “Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.”
From The New Yorker • Apr. 30, 2019
By contrast, the evening show was brief, but bejeweled by Mary Stallings' svelte renditions of "Hello Yesterday" and "Don't Misunderstand," calling to mind the salted-caramel timbre of Carmen McRae and Nancy Wilson's urban sophistication.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 29, 2012
Misunderstand, mis-un-dėr-stand′, v.t. to take in a wrong sense.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
