comprehension

noun

com·​pre·​hen·​sion ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-shən 

-prē-

1

a

: the act or action of grasping with the intellect : understanding

children who have difficulty with comprehension of spoken language

What the artist actually needs is comprehension of his aims and ideals by men he respects …

—H. L. Mencken

b

: knowledge gained by comprehending

tests that measure the students' comprehension in math

She carried on with full comprehension of the risk involved.

c

: the capacity for understanding fully

mysteries that are beyond our comprehension

The war caused suffering beyond comprehension.

2

a

: the act or process of comprising

the comprehension of all the denominations into one Church

b

: the faculty or capability of including : comprehensiveness

the broad comprehension of the word "animal"

3

: connotation sense 3

Synonyms

• understanding
• appreciation

Examples of comprehension in a Sentence

The students showed excellent reading comprehension.

the president's comprehension of the current situation in the Middle East

Recent Examples on the Web

Humanity has been dealing with nefarious arch-villains, fire-breathing kaiju and world-ending cataclysms caused by forces beyond human comprehension for centuries. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 12 July 2025

Keenan figures that the young up-and-comers on the roster having a better comprehension of what Tocchet meant to the club and the city at one point in time will help them all to embrace what’s ahead. —Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Strip out everything that slows comprehension and make your brilliance understandable to everyone. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Collins aims the textual material at a seventh-grade comprehension level, one of the years when students generally study Texas history. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin comprehension-, comprehensio, from comprehendere to understand, comprise

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing comprehension

• beyond comprehension
• beyond comprehension/understanding
• beyond one's comprehension

Rhymes for comprehension

• apprehension
• condescension
• hypertension
• hypotension
• reinvention
• reprehension
• resuspension
• attention
• contention
• convention
• declension
• detention

Kids Definition

comprehension

noun

com·​pre·​hen·​sion ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen-chən 

1

: the act of comprehending

2

: knowledge gained by comprehending

3

: the capacity for understanding