misunderstand

verb

mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand 

misunderstood (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d  ; misunderstanding

transitive verb

1

: to fail to understand

I misunderstood the message.

2

: to interpret incorrectly

I think you misunderstood my intentions.

Synonyms of misunderstand

• miss
• mistake
• misread
• misconstrue
• misinterpret
• misapprehend

Examples of misunderstand in a Sentence

Don't misunderstand me—I'm not criticizing your decision.

He feels that the critics have completely misunderstood his movies.

She expressed herself in clear terms that no one could misunderstand.

Recent Examples on the Web

Much like the reception to his first book, The Zombie Survival Guide, many fans seem to misunderstand his intentions. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026

Loving spouses disappoint us, supportive parents fail us, close friends misunderstand us, and even terrific children create enormous stress. — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026

Maybe an important meeting is rescheduled at the worst possible time, or perhaps someone misunderstands the context of your conversation. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Hopefully Hollywood won’t misunderstand the lesson in those projects’ success. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misunderstand

• analysand
• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland

Kids Definition

misunderstand

verb

mis·​un·​der·​stand (ˌ)mis-ˌən-dər-ˈstand 

misunderstood -ˈstu̇d  ; misunderstanding

1

: to fail to understand

2

: to interpret incorrectly