- present participle of understand.
understanding
Americannoun
-
mental process of a person who comprehends; comprehension; personal interpretation.
My understanding of the word does not agree with yours.
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intellectual faculties; intelligence; mind.
a quick understanding.
-
superior power of discernment; enlightened intelligence.
With her keen understanding she should have become a leader.
-
knowledge of or familiarity with a particular thing; skill in dealing with or handling something.
an understanding of accounting practice.
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a state of cooperative or mutually tolerant relations between people.
To him, understanding and goodwill were the supreme virtues.
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a mutual agreement, especially of a private, unannounced, or tacit kind.
They had an understanding about who would do the dishes.
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an agreement regulating joint activity or settling differences, often informal or preliminary in character.
After hours of negotiation, no understanding on a new contract was reached.
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Philosophy.
-
the power of abstract thought; logical power.
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Kantianism. the mental faculty resolving the sensory manifold into the transcendental unity of apperception.
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adjective
noun
-
the ability to learn, judge, make decisions, etc; intelligence or sense
-
personal opinion or interpretation of a subject
my understanding of your predicament
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a mutual agreement or compact, esp an informal or private one
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an unofficial engagement to be married
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archaic philosophy the mind, esp the faculty of reason
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with the condition that; providing
adjective
-
sympathetic, tolerant, or wise towards people
-
possessing judgment and intelligence
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of understanding
First recorded before 1050; understand + -ing 1 ( def. )
Explanation
To be understanding is to be sympathetic to someone’s woes. Understanding a concept means you get it. Your understanding might be that your mother will always drive you to school if you miss the bus. The sum of your knowledge of a certain topic, is your understanding of it. This can change, or deepen as you learn more. But being an understanding person doesn't take a lot of studying — it takes opening your heart to appreciate what someone else feels or experiences. If someone says to you, "I thought we had an understanding," you must have done something unexpected. Here, understanding means "an agreement."
Vocabulary lists containing understanding
Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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myPerspectives 7.5
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 7
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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.
"We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel's very happy about it," Trump told journalists at Camp David.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
It’s become more about the understanding that the buying experience is profoundly changing, and marketing is becoming more critical to that than ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It could eventually improve understanding of how DNA withstands light exposure, how energy travels through materials designed to harvest light, and how other fundamental light-driven processes occur.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
The committee added that special forces involvement "should not prevent Parliament and the public from understanding how administrative failings occurred".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
It’s obvious though that Zara won’t be “fine with whatever,” and I’m irritated that she can’t be a little more understanding.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
