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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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misunderstandsimple
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misunderstandssimple
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have misunderstoodperfect
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has misunderstoodperfect
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am misunderstandingprogressive
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are misunderstandingprogressive
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is misunderstandingprogressive
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have been misunderstandingperfect progressive
-
has been misunderstandingperfect progressive
Past
-
misunderstoodsimple
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had misunderstoodperfect
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was misunderstandingprogressive
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were misunderstandingprogressive
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had been misunderstandingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
We also discovered—without too much surprise—that he often seems to fundamentally misunderstand the works he treasures most deeply.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
What do audiences underestimate or misunderstand about what it takes to make a comedy?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
“People are desperate for indicators so they look at VIX and they misunderstand it,” says Scott Nations, president of volatility index developer Nations Indexes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Kaufman acknowledged mistakes can occur, but suggested many complaints arise when parents complete age checks on behalf of their children or misunderstand the process.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
“No, no, you misunderstand me,” said Professor Lupin, now smiling.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Some of its language suggests that, despite several briefings, he completely misunderstands the subject of uranium enrichment—crucial to any negotiation with Iran.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
De Zylva argues this misunderstands the point: "The purpose of the green belt isn't to be green per se, it is to be a buffer to prevent sprawl."
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
“This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site,” said Jose Castañeda, a Google spokesman, in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2026
"This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site," Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
The evidence is clear: not only does della Porta echo Garzoni’s words, but he misunderstands some of the experiments he claims to have performed, and so misreports them.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Being gay and misunderstood, with the unacknowledged pain of it kept inside, was quite literally eating me alive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
But for a film to become a misunderstood classic, it has to be worth paying any attention to in the first place.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
Shalom is a proud advocate for People Who Stutter, promoting awareness around this misunderstood disability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
After the war, Dzeko began his football journey with local club Zeljeznicar, but in his early career went largely misunderstood.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
He may have misunderstood the biological basis of human heredity—but at least he understood what to do about it.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
She said there was plenty of "potential for misunderstanding", among tenants about pet-friendly properties.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Mark Joseph Stern: There has been a lot of misunderstanding about exactly what the liberal justices did in B.P.J., and I want to clear that up.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
Flock blames the blowback on misunderstanding its technology and disinformation spread by opponents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Citrini pushed back, flagging a “fundamental misunderstanding of the business model.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
"Because Elnora is a puritan and Cristiana is vain and foolish," she said, misunderstanding me.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
