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 To find creative solutions to increase our students capacity to read, write, and comprehend and critically think about the various subject material presented to them. Pioneer Press Elections Team, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025 Heavener said her young students have a hard time comprehending what is going on. Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025 The rest of the women are in swimsuits … because Mel still can’t comprehend that women over 45 are hot. Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025 This loss is especially difficult to comprehend. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for comprehend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comprehend
Verb
  • Both also connected really deeply with their big-name players and understood how to communicate with those individuals to get the best out of them.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Deadline understands that 26 crew members of Tulsa King‘s 600-member crew were asked not to return for Season 4, which is expected to resume production in a week.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The charitable organization funded by the Johnson & Johnson heiress is known for gifts to education, health and civic projects.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Also known as irritable hip, the condition is due to inflammation of the hip joint lining.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Keweenaw National Historic Park encompasses both public and private sites throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula and features heritage sites from the area's copper mining history.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • In their new roles, Bakx and Rotter will lead 885’s sports investment portfolio—encompassing Baller League, Blue Crow Sports Group and the Professional Fighters League—and help identify and scale new investment opportunities across the wider sports ecosystem.
    Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Their job was to transmit secure battlefield communications that the enemy could not decipher.
    Tim Trudell, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
  • While expeditions in the early 1990s deciphered crucial insights into the ship’s final moments, one expedition drew sharp criticism after a crewman’s body was found.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Matthew Busch/Bloomberg via Getty Images Matthew Busch—Bloomberg Advertisement Joe Gebbia, a cofounder of Airbnb, has spent a total of $2 million on the race, including $1 million apiece to Fix the City and Defend NYC.
    Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
  • One year after taking the helm, Niccol’s restructuring plan – including menu pare-back as well as store closures and remodeling – has shown mixed results.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Certain skills can be developed to more accurately grasp what facial cues actually mean.
    Matt Fuchs, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Friends and family will often counsel against making such a weighty decision in the midst of emotional turbulence, not grasping that a profound sense of misalignment is what is feeding the turbulence in the first place.
    James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • After the players strolled onto the field through an opening in center field, rapper Ice Cube, a huge Dodger fan, drove a vintage blue Chevy convertible containing the World Series trophy.
    Steve Futterman, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025
  • One officer allegedly found garbage bags inside a large freezer that were later determined to contain the remains of a female, the station reported.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Lockhart was also the recipient of two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one recognizing her motion picture work, the other honoring her television career.
    Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Anguilla was also recognized by Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards as one of the top islands globally — and the highest-ranked in the Caribbean — earning praise for its friendly hospitality, diverse cuisine and luxury resorts.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Comprehend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comprehend. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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