1
as in mistake
a failure to understand correctly
people once thought that there were canals on Mars because of a common misunderstanding of a report by an Italian astronomer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
tried to resolve their misunderstandings peacefully
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in missing
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
you misunderstood that poem because you took everything so literally
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of misunderstanding
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Paul Mitchell, the Democratic redistricting consultant who drew California’s Proposition 50 congressional maps, said the push for a 52-0 delegation reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how a partisan map would perform in the state over time.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Kirstin R.w. Matthews, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
People keep either misunderstanding or forgetting that there are not one but two revolutions going on here, the second being accelerated computing.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misunderstanding
Noun
Jean believed that this reflected a misunderstanding of how the public interacts with the agency.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Paul Mitchell, the Democratic redistricting consultant who drew California’s Proposition 50 congressional maps, said the push for a 52-0 delegation reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how a partisan map would perform in the state over time.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Verb
Instead, a formal review of the original data showed the warnings were based on misunderstanding the data.
—Kirstin R.w. Matthews, STAT, 3 Feb. 2026
People keep either misunderstanding or forgetting that there are not one but two revolutions going on here, the second being accelerated computing.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misunderstanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstanding
Noun
-
Kreider made no mistake hammering the puck past Hart from the low slot.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
-
That will also be a huge difference from the Orbán regime, when there was no responsibility or consequences of any crime, any political mistake.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
When Magyar emerged as an opposition figure, their disputes became a recurring story in the tabloids.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
The dispute, which has spanned three mayoral administrations going back to at least 2021, has now hit a breaking point.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
We now are faced with missing holidays with them to comply with their demands.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
-
Just 93 seconds later, with the Wild on its first power play of the game and Wedgewood missing his stick, Hughes scored his fourth goal of the playoffs, giving Minnesota its first multi-goal lead of the series.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Although Turkish officials have stopped short of declaring the incidents deliberate attacks, each interception raises the risk of escalation, whether through miscalculation, technical failure, or misinterpretation of intent.—
Steve Mollman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Keith Poliakoff, attorney for the developer, says his client will appeal the ruling and also request that the lower court rehear the case due to what Poliakoff called a misinterpretation of the Live Local Act.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
New reports don’t end disagreements The latest raft of reporting, with mysterious figures and unexplained sounds, has not yet made a believer out of skeptic Benjamin Radford.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
The new restaurant takes over the former Biscuit & Hogs space, which closed amid legal disagreements.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
There could be no mistaking what band was blasting out of all those boomboxes and car radios.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2026
-
There is no mistaking Sherman’s ownership as even remotely successful thus far.—
Greg Cote
May 7,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Manager Mark DeRosa’s misspeaking or misreading of the tiebreaker scenarios didn’t sink his club.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
In their response, government prosecutors criticized the Sansons’ arguments as off-target and based on a misreading of the law.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
At 20, he was arrested after a routine traffic stop turned into a violent altercation with police.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The altercation between Avdija and Castle put an end to a frustrating day for the Trail Blazers, who lost Game 4 by 21 points after holding a 17-point lead at halftime.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstanding. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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