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 Don’t misunderstand me—Marx, too, recognized the fact that capitalism had, in its fashion, enriched our lives as well. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 This argument isn’t wrong, but fundamentally misunderstands that humans too are doing the same thing – recombining ideas is precisely what creates genuinely new ones. — Michael Muthukrishna, Fortune, 23 July 2026 The good news is that the IRS rarely charges severe penalties for honest mistakes or misunderstanding a complex tax code. — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 20 July 2026 Write down the agreement, close the loop, and make the system harder to misunderstand. — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 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
  • Don’t miss Pateo, a verdant oasis with a heated swimming pool and lounge furniture.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Aug. 2026
  • However, by Monday morning officials said many more people were aboard than listed, and that the number of people still missing was unclear after 229 people were rescued and five bodies recovered.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • Reflecting on the album in a 2008 interview with SPIN, Costello said people mistook the confrontational pose for genuine swagger.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Kikuko sometimes mistook Shigejiro’s cheerfulness for egoism owing to the distortions produced by her illness.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistake
Verb
  • That burns tokens, slows response times and increases the chances that the model will miss or misread something important.
    — Bruce Kelley, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • That’s a demand signal Western automakers cannot afford to misread — particularly as more affordable competition is still at least a year away from market.
    — Philipp Kampshoff, Fortune, 30 July 2026
Definition of misread
Verb
  • Sherman misconstrued my letter.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026
  • In granting the President this unbridled authority, the Court upends its precedent, misconstrues our history, and sheds any pretense of judicial modesty.
    — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Definition of misconstrue
Verb
  • When a busy thread frequently goes to sleep for short periods, the current AMD driver can misinterpret that behavior as a signal to lower its average performance target.
    — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026
  • Every interaction introduces new opportunities for sensitive information to be exposed, mishandled or misinterpreted.
    — Syed Ali, Forbes.com, 29 July 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 5 Aug. 2026.

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