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
  • After missing Sunday’s win in Philadelphia with a hamstring injury, Skattebo returned Thursday with 78 rushing yards on 18 carries, including touchdowns of one and 13 yards.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Don’t miss Tavistock, the old market town on Dartmoor’s western edge.
    — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • If major risks fall outside the scope, customers might mistake limited findings for a broader endorsement of the system.
    — Avani Desai, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
  • This could help scientists avoid mistaking geological activity for evidence of extraterrestrial organisms.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of mistake
Verb
  • When too many suds are introduced, sensors may misread water levels, cycles may stall, and pumps may struggle to drain properly.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2026
  • This matters because, for a patient who has already left the country, graft take isn’t fully visible for months, and early signs of infection or improper healing are easy for a patient to misread alone.
    — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 29 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
  • But as a practicing Catholic, Pomiés says sometimes Uruguayan and especially officials misinterpret what secularism is.
    — Carrie Kahn, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026
  • However, the flight system encountered a technical fault when Fluctus misinterpreted air pressure fluctuations as a crash landing and prematurely declared an emergency apogee, assuming the rocket was beyond recovery.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 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 13 Nov. 2026.

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