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
Relevance
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 mayor seems to misunderstand what Israel means to most Jewish New Yorkers.
—
David Ingber, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026
Still, Cole observes how some viewers misunderstand their intentions from time to time.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Eastern diamondbacks face habitat loss and can be targeted by people who misunderstand or fear them, says the FWC.
—Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 3 June 2026
But this approach fundamentally misunderstands human social nature.
—Clay Routledge, Fortune, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
David Ingber, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026
Still, Cole observes how some viewers misunderstand their intentions from time to time.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Eastern diamondbacks face habitat loss and can be targeted by people who misunderstand or fear them, says the FWC.
—Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 3 June 2026
But this approach fundamentally misunderstands human social nature.
—Clay Routledge, Fortune, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for misunderstand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstand
Verb
-
Caitlin Clark orchestrates offense Clark struggled to find her shooting touch Tuesday, missing 10 of 15 field goal attempts and seven of eight 3-pointers.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Fans attending World Cup matches at Miami Stadium are warning others to arrive hours early after long lines and transportation delays caused some to miss major moments of a recent game.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, Carter (Finn Little) mistakes Oreana's (Natalie Alyn Lind) attention for something more.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
-
The recurring worry was that the technology can be confidently wrong, handing over a clean, plausible answer that happens to be mistaken.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Pulling one habit out of that mix and calling it the secret misreads the science.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
-
Boards that assume future action will suffice are misreading the timing.—
Maman Ibrahim,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Later, in the stadium, Amir Guerami from Westwood explained that many fans from the Southern California community wanted Iran to win but also wanted to make sure support of a team wasn’t misconstrued as support for the government.—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
-
Which, by the way, is also being misconstrued.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Longtime Spurs fan Gomez explained on her Instagram Stories that her comment on the post had been misinterpreted.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
-
Not to be misinterpreted (and to keep with the interview motif), Lestat also invites Daniel (Eric Bogosian) to shoot a documentary of the band’s first tour.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 June 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstand. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
