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 Ribera insists that this misunderstands the European perspective. — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026 Make the values easier to live, the organization easier to operate and the standard of performance harder to misunderstand. — Lou Maiuri, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Imagine a fall-detection system that fails at night, a workplace safety monitor that misses a crucial action or a robot that misunderstands what a person is doing because it’s never seen that exact interaction before. — Bo Wang, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026 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 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
  • Rice has played in five games for the Chiefs this season, missing two with a hamstring injury.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Further investigation in Arkadelphia revealed that when George missed work on April 24 and 25, his supervisor requested a wellness check.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • Some health officials worry they can be mistaken by young consumers for candy or gum.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But Pawn Shop is considerably harder to mistake for just another acting job.
    — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of mistake
Verb
  • Officials said the department has reported no instances of misuse under its current auditing practices, although 71% of camera alerts involved misread license plates.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hope springs eternal though when Ali G misreads a message from an Elvis impersonator named Rocky (Clive Russell) who needs to talk to him ASAP.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of misread
Verb
  • Immigrant connections When asked by pollsters what their top concerns are, Latino respondents rarely include immigration on that list, but this misconstrues the fact that immigration is a key Latino concern.
    — Lisa García Bedolla, Time, 4 Nov. 2026
  • 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
Definition of misconstrue
Verb
  • Many tenant advocates argue not only that cities are misinterpreting SB 1211 but also that the law is poorly written.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Their attorney, Anthony Sabatini, argued that the university had misinterpreted the private messages and reacted to a controversy amplified by news coverage rather than to an actual danger on campus.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of misinterpret
Verb
  • Obituaries for nuclear weapons simply misapprehend the role these arms have played since 1945.
    — Eric S. Edelman, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • 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 7 Nov. 2026.

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