understanding

American  

[uhn-der-stan-ding] / ˌʌn dərˈstæn dɪŋ /

noun

1. mental process of a person who comprehends; comprehension; personal interpretation.

   My understanding of the word does not agree with yours.

2. intellectual faculties; intelligence; mind.

   a quick understanding.

3. superior power of discernment; enlightened intelligence.

   With her keen understanding she should have become a leader.

4. knowledge of or familiarity with a particular thing; skill in dealing with or handling something.

   an understanding of accounting practice.

5. a state of cooperative or mutually tolerant relations between people.

   To him, understanding and goodwill were the supreme virtues.

6. a mutual agreement, especially of a private, unannounced, or tacit kind.

   They had an understanding about who would do the dishes.

7. 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.

8. Philosophy.

   1. the power of abstract thought; logical power.

   2. Kantianism. the mental faculty resolving the sensory manifold into the transcendental unity of apperception.

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adjective

1. characterized by understanding; prompted by, based on, or demonstrating comprehension, intelligence, discernment, empathy, or the like.

   an understanding attitude.

understanding British  

/ ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ /

noun

1. the ability to learn, judge, make decisions, etc; intelligence or sense

2. personal opinion or interpretation of a subject

   my understanding of your predicament

3. a mutual agreement or compact, esp an informal or private one

4. an unofficial engagement to be married

5. archaic philosophy the mind, esp the faculty of reason

6. with the condition that; providing

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adjective

1. sympathetic, tolerant, or wise towards people

2. possessing judgment and intelligence

Other Word Forms

• nonunderstanding adjective
• nonunderstandingly adverb
• self-understanding noun
• understandingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of understanding

First recorded before 1050; understand + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

"We're not there yet. But we're currently developing a new space probe at ESA called Vigil which will be dedicated exclusively to improving our understanding of space weather," says the scientist.

From Science Daily

“As a psychoanalyst or psychiatrist ages, we have the ability, through our own life experiences, to be more understanding and more aware,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

He adds that a deeper understanding of the genetic factors behind antibiotic tolerance could lead to faster and simpler testing methods and improve predictions about how effective new antibiotics will be during development.

From Science Daily

"But his box office pull and fandom are huge and undeniably influential. Dancing, comedy and a keen understanding of populist cinema are his strengths."

From BBC

When a friend who isn’t a native English speaker first came to the U.S., he would ask me for help understanding how things work here.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• conclusion
• idea
• impression
• interpretation
• judgment
• knowledge
• meaning
• opinion
• perception
• sense
• sympathy
• view