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 of comprehension

• 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

The enchanting and seductive effects of the collection’s hat display on uninformed viewers like myself originated at least partially from the lack of comprehension of the actual functions of these headpieces in their extremely diverse cultural contexts and origins. —Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025

Success depends less on frameworks and more on comprehension — knowing when to adapt pace, tone, or focus. —Louisa Loran, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025

Again a kind of awareness, my eyes focused, saw Oliver walking slowly toward his room, always away—my wide stare without comprehension hurt. —Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025

Research shows that most humans cannot multi-task but are rapidly task-shifting — a process associated with poor memory and comprehension among youth. —Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 17 Nov. 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