misunderstand

verb

(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand How to pronounce misunderstand (audio)
Definition of misunderstandnext
as in to miss
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of you misunderstood that poem because you took everything so literally

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 misunderstand The Libra Sun opposes Neptune across your personal and shared resource zones, making promises, expenses, or contributions easy to misunderstand. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 25 Sep. 2026 Friedlich hangs a lot of The Holes’s emotional bent on the dynamic between Joey and Carson, as two lonely townies who have spent a lot of their lives misunderstanding each other. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026 Mercury opposes elusive Neptune, making deadlines, availability, or expectations easier to misunderstand. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstand
  1. miss
  2. mistake
  3. misread
  4. misconstrue
  5. misinterpret
  6. misapprehend
Verb
  • Suite 800, Houston, TX 77056 (713) 840-8880 Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.
    — CNBC.com staff, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Cancer June 21 – July 22 Your mind is sharp today, especially for details other people miss.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • Jensen Huang has argued that the doomsayers mistook the task of reading scans for the whole job.
    — Han Wang, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The Houthis appear to have mistaken Saudi restraint for an inability to act.
    — Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of mistake
Verb
  • In the face of the law, a fan misreading an article is different from a promoter booking the wrong performer.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
  • What officials misread back then was the source of that inflation.
    — Kelly Evans, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of misread
Verb
  • Opposition contacts Rivera and his lawyers relied heavily on his contacts with Maduro opponents to argue that the government had misconstrued his work.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • For advocates, the law speaks to the horrific circumstances families can endure when a medical issue is misconstrued as abuse.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of misconstrue
Verb
  • Without a way to connect those relationships, critical context gets lost, or misinterpreted, at every handoff.
    — Tom Dunlop, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • But in my experience, if used on its own to diagnose, it can be easily misinterpreted.
    — Andrew McLean, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of misinterpret
Verb
  • That is true of leaders anywhere, but Israel’s history has predisposed some of its policymakers to focus excessively on day-to-day survival and to misapprehend or ignore strategic dynamics as a result.
    — Andrew P. Miller, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2025
  • But would her students, turned on everywhere by the dogma of political correctness, misapprehend Haynes’s aim?
    — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
Definition of misapprehend

Browse Nearby Words

mistyping
misunderstand
misunderstanding
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Cite this Entry

“Misunderstand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstand. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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