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

Levy also believes children are using technology more and reading less, resulting in diminished comprehension, vocabulary and language skills. — Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2026

Ossoff, seen as a potential 2028 contender, said geriatric politicians have little comprehension of AI technology. — Jill Colvin, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Without that layer, the comprehension work falls back on humans, page after page, document after document, exception after exception. — Alberto Gimeno, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

As one example of how educators might balance digital tools, the report said Singapore used technology in its classrooms but also emphasized reading comprehension early on. — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

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