Definition of comprehendnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word comprehend distinct from other similar verbs?

The words appreciate and understand are common synonyms of comprehend. While all three words mean "to have a clear or complete idea of," comprehend may stress the process of coming to grips with something intellectually.

I have trouble comprehending your reasons for doing this

When is it sensible to use appreciate instead of comprehend?

While the synonyms appreciate and comprehend are close in meaning, appreciate implies a just evaluation or judgment of a thing's value or nature.

failed to appreciate the risks involved

How are the words understand and comprehend related?

Both understand and comprehend are very often interchangeable, with understand sometimes stressing the fact of having attained a firm mental grasp of something.

orders that were fully understood and promptly obeyed

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of comprehend According to the suit, the practitioners didn’t order blood tests for Lindsay, often met with her virtually when in-person visits would have been more conducive to treatment, and failed to fully comprehend the severity of her deterioration. Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026 At over 5,000 square miles, the vastness of Vatnajökull National Park can feel difficult to comprehend. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026 The glaring disparity in the government response is hard to ignore or comprehend. Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026 Collectors' lack of appreciation for Curtiss' engineering landmarks is difficult to comprehend. Mike Hanlon january 16, New Atlas, 16 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for comprehend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comprehend
Verb
  • Used by more than just psychiatrists, the DSM is considered the very foundation of how mental health issues are understood.
    Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images MONTREAL — Cole Caufield arrived for his on-air interview between the second and third periods Tuesday night understanding the exact situation in which his Montreal Canadiens found themselves.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • About 80 warming centers were opened across the state, known as one of the nation's poorest.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
  • In other words, getting hit by the single most energetic particle presently known in all the Universe would have no noticeable effect on you at all.
    Big Think, Big Think, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • China for decades has cultivated an extensive network of ties across Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that encompasses more than 30 countries and 670 million people.
    Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Also known as domestic suspense or domestic noir, the term generally encompasses psychological thrillers that are set in the home or neighborhood; interrogate familial or community relationships; and, usually, center around female characters.
    Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • But this can be tricky to decipher without a medical degree.
    Korin Miller, Flow Space, 21 Jan. 2026
  • So, the thinking went, every costume, prop, and line reading is there for a reason, infinite symbolism scattered across the frame for anyone determined enough to decipher it.
    Lane Brown, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Strandjord pointed to mounting cases in which US citizens have been detained while protesting or exercising First Amendment rights, including the rights of journalists.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
  • Payton Verhulst led Oklahoma (17-5, 5-4) with 18 points, and Zya Vann added 15, including 10 in the fourth quarter when the Sooners tried to erase a 16-point deficit.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Emma looked around, confused at the adults fussing around him and too young, perhaps, to grasp the severity of the scene.
    Maeva Bambuck, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
  • And on top of it all, a social platform has merged where the AI agents can gather to compare notes, with implications that have yet to be fully grasped.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The current edition, DSM-5-TR, contains more than 300 distinct mental disorders such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder and alcohol use disorder.
    Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Electronic waste from phones, laptops and more contains high concentrations of valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper, gold and silver.
    Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The selection highlights the diversity of the state’s cheesemaking tradition and features producers recognized nationally for their quality and flavor.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Investors appear to have recognized that Meta is actually monetizing this AI expenditure.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Comprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comprehend. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

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