- 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:
This less fixed style is more difficult to analyse from the outside looking in, which can result in misunderstanding his work entirely.
From BBC ● 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
His calm, quiet presence somehow sets off a fire of indignation and misunderstanding, which gets worse when one of the ladies asks the basket weaver to make her a wicker baby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The results also highlighted a persistent misunderstanding surrounding the familiar hurricane "cone of uncertainty."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 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
"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
They have also agreed to establish a communication channel for AI-related incidents, aimed at preventing misunderstandings or unexpected developments from turning into a broader confrontation.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
My second favorite feature is being able to message my doctors, who respond to me in writing, which helps prevent misunderstandings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
With eight siblings, it had been turbulent growing up, and when she converted to Islam, the battles and misunderstandings multiplied.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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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.
