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 This seemed to misunderstand the limitations of space and time in a museum that has no shortage of Founding Fathers material. — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 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 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
  • Perseus Rising in the northeast after dark, Perseus is not the easiest constellation to make sense of, but its rich star fields are hard to miss.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in February 1995.
    — John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 9 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
  • But speed changed the game in a way many people misread, and the product still matters enormously.
    — Agustín Guerra, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, right fielder Jung Hoo Lee appeared to misread what should’ve been an inning-ending fly out off the bat of Duran.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of misread
Verb
  • His attorneys feared Paul was trying to coax Fauci to say something under oath that could be misconstrued and used to prosecute him.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Sanchez said that the ruling had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to convince thousands of people to cross by swimming around the border fence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of misconstrue
Verb
  • Rajesh Exports denied these allegations of wrongdoing and said the discrepancies pointed out by SEBI misinterpret their consolidated global revenue and basic value additions.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The current debate often misinterprets AI's role, focusing too much on job replacement and efficiency.
    — Tim Bajarin, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 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 Aug. 2026.

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