- 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:
Nonthaburi governor Chestha Mosikarat earlier told reporters the suspect and victim were "friends for a long time" and the incident likely stemmed from a misunderstanding.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“From that point of view, it becomes a more serious story, and it goes beyond misunderstanding to something more worrying.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
To some, it may feel like Araki is flattening complex social mores and misunderstanding the anxieties behind this era of semi-celibacy.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 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
All of this is a salutary lesson in the way tottering edifices of theology can be built on a small textual misunderstanding.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
But there are insights about his perception of—and plans for—America to be gained from examining those misunderstandings.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
But there were misunderstandings about what might be normal in Europe versus what we have to follow in terms of being a U.S. public company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
In October, Aliyev said that "past misunderstandings between the two countries have been resolved" after meeting Macron in Copenhagen.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
One of the most common misunderstandings about tariffs is who pays them.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026
“Those misunderstandings? And what about the fight the other day? You...said really mean things about me.”
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
