understanding

[uhn-der-stan-ding]

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.

adjective

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

   an understanding attitude.

understanding

/ 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

adjective

1. sympathetic, tolerant, or wise towards people

2. possessing judgment and intelligence

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of understanding¹

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

Example Sentences

By understanding how the rigidity of asteroids' interior structure relates to their rotation, it's possible to use that knowledge to infer the internal properties of the asteroids.

From Science Daily

The quantum interactions involved are very complex and require advanced understanding of how loop currents, quantum geometry, and magnetic fields work together -- knowledge that has only developed in recent years.

From Science Daily

All in all, the Red Sea is a natural laboratory for understanding how oceans are born, how salt giants accumulate, and how climate and tectonics interact over millions of years.

From Science Daily

The Kobe University finding not only closes a gap in our understanding of wild orchid ecology but also uncovers an important carbon flux in the ecosystem.

From Science Daily

“At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share,” the company said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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