mis·ap·pre·hend
(ˌ)mis-ˌa-pri-ˈhend 
misapprehended; misapprehending; misapprehends
: to apprehend wrongly : misunderstand
1
: the action of misapprehending
changed certain equivocal passages to prevent further misapprehension of his views—
S. P. Chase & J. K. Snyder
S. P. Chase & J. K. Snyder2
: the state of being misapprehended
an attempt to eliminate some of the common misapprehensions and confusions which have traditionally haunted aesthetic thought—Hunter Mead
Hunter MeadExamples of misapprehend in a Sentence
Verb
unfortunately, the message that the artist was trying to convey has been misapprehended by many museum patrons
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
But would her students, turned on everywhere by the dogma of political correctness, misapprehend Haynes’s aim?
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Some people misapprehend it and think of as imitation.
—New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
But to call him a ‘man of the Right’ is to misapprehend his own words and actions.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 25 Feb. 2020
Traditionally, that's led to things like snakes on stage and misapprehended awards speeches.
—Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 20 Aug. 2018
Yet by the same logic, giving Washington and Jefferson a pass for being slaveholders misapprehends a moral problem embedded in our nation at its conception.
—Ron Grossman, chicagotribune.com, 25 Aug. 2017
This isn’t just shooting your mouth off on the stump—this is the nation’s top lawyer completely misapprehending what judges do and what states are.
—Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 20 Apr. 2017
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Verb
That is true of leaders anywhere, but Israel’s history has predisposed some of its policymakers to focus excessively on day-to-day survival and to misapprehend or ignore strategic dynamics as a result.
—Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
But would her students, turned on everywhere by the dogma of political correctness, misapprehend Haynes’s aim?
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Some people misapprehend it and think of as imitation.
—New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
But to call him a ‘man of the Right’ is to misapprehend his own words and actions.
—John Hirschauer, National Review, 25 Feb. 2020
Traditionally, that's led to things like snakes on stage and misapprehended awards speeches.
—Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 20 Aug. 2018
Yet by the same logic, giving Washington and Jefferson a pass for being slaveholders misapprehends a moral problem embedded in our nation at its conception.
—Ron Grossman, chicagotribune.com, 25 Aug. 2017
This isn’t just shooting your mouth off on the stump—this is the nation’s top lawyer completely misapprehending what judges do and what states are.
—Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 20 Apr. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Misapprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misapprehend. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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misapprehend
verb
mis·ap·pre·hend
(ˌ)mis-ˌap-ri-ˈhend
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