comprehending

verb

present participle of comprehend
1
as in understanding
to have a clear idea of the age at which children can comprehend the difference between right and wrong

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in knowing
to have a practical understanding of it took me a while to comprehend algebra

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in including
to have as part of a whole our notion of morality should comprehend much more than proper sexual behavior

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 comprehending Hard sci-fi, meanwhile, leans into the fact that life evolving on other planets, under different conditions, and across different stretches of time will almost certainly take on forms so different from ours that comprehending them would be like imagining a new color. — Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026 As for whether comprehending the wiring of the brain really demands techniques from the frontiers of theoretical physics, questions remain. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2026 And only by comprehending the Star Eaters will Ro also comprehend his part in their potential destruction. — Literary Hub, 2 Jan. 2026 And then just comprehending the infrastructure required, again, just for the eggs, let alone all the other things required. — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025 Heavener said her young students have a hard time comprehending what is going on. — Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025 According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than 230,000 Coloradans have difficulty comprehending and communicating in English. — Micki Olson, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025 The way humanity finally got to the level of ChatGPT was not by comprehending intelligence well enough to craft an intelligent mind. — Nate Soares, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025 Understanding what the Padres’ bullpen is absorbing begins with comprehending just how good it’s been. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comprehending
  1. understanding
  2. knowing
  3. including
  4. deciphering
  5. involving
  6. recognizing
  7. encompassing
  8. grasping
Verb
  • Grief literacy is understanding the foundations and the fundamentals of loss and grief.
    — Mikaela Cohen, Fortune, 14 July 2026
  • What’s most important is understanding that options exist—and that care can be tailored.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 14 July 2026
Definition of understanding
Verb
  • The challenge is no longer finding new avenues for growth, but knowing which ones to pursue without repeating the gradual dilution that weakened the brand before.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 July 2026
  • The men who get real value out of knowing their T levels aren’t the ones chasing a higher number.
    — Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Definition of knowing
Verb
  • This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 15, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • The percentage of Californians (including non-likely voters) who called energy costs a big problem rose 9 points from last July — a sign of the growing pressures high gasoline costs and electrical bills are bringing to bear on state residents.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of including
Verb
  • In 2023, the Vesuvius Challenge made its first award for deciphering the first letters, and the following year, the project awarded the grand prize of $700,000 for producing the first readable text.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026
  • Already, papyrologists are deciphering new texts that indicate other possible authors in the Herculaneum collection, including one of the leaders of the Stoic philosophy school.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 June 2026
Definition of deciphering
Verb
  • During a family fun night Monday at Summit Waves in Lee’s Summit, two incidents occurred, one involving a gun, according to the city’s parks and recreation department.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • Sanders will head to Michigan this week to rally with his candidates up and down the ballot, while Schumer is not even involving himself in the Maine do-over primary.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of involving
Verb
  • So there's some history of the British recognizing the value of a good laugh, perhaps especially in politics.
    — Scott Simon, NPR, 11 July 2026
  • The study proposes 12 strategies to strengthen the ecosystem, including expanding funding tools, improving tax incentives, supporting distribution and promotion, and recognizing the operational costs needed to build resilient production companies.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 11 July 2026
Definition of recognizing
Verb
  • Europe needs a continent-wide security architecture encompassing NATO members both inside and outside the EU.
    — Galip Dalay, Time, 7 July 2026
  • An all encompassing space like Big Grove has filled a gap in town — a communal, family-friendly and casual-yet-upscale energy not matched by existing spaces.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of encompassing
Verb
  • The moniker was assigned to Trump by Kurt Andersen and Grayden Carter’s Spy Magazine in 1988 as a sardonic stab at his attention grasping drive.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 8 July 2026
  • This enables users to perform everyday grasping tasks, such as holding plates, glasses, forks, spoons, and other household objects with a secure grip.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
Definition of grasping

Browse Nearby Words

comprehendible
comprehending
comprehends
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Cite this Entry

“Comprehending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comprehending. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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