1
as in misinterpretations
a failure to understand correctly
people once thought that there were canals on Mars because of a common misunderstanding of a report by an Italian astronomer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disagreements
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
tried to resolve their misunderstandings peacefully
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misunderstandings
False hopes about working in retirement speak to fundamental misunderstandings about retirement and the labor market, experts say.
—
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 20 June 2026
Also, misunderstandings can be dangerous.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
In states where the Birthday Rule is already law, having a specialist explain exactly what the rule does and does not do can prevent costly misunderstandings.
—Sylvia Gordon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
In fact, Son says one of the biggest misunderstandings about her story is that she’s tried to deal with the spiders herself before calling in experts.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026
The misunderstandings are about people’s tones, and not necessarily about the things that people are pointing toward.
—Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Fences and landscaping creeps can cause small misunderstandings that quickly grow into legal disputes.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
Important details get lost, misunderstandings creep in, and decisions slow down.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
The event is designed to offer tools to help improve communication skills, reduce misunderstandings and strengthen everyday connections.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 20 June 2026
Also, misunderstandings can be dangerous.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
In states where the Birthday Rule is already law, having a specialist explain exactly what the rule does and does not do can prevent costly misunderstandings.
—Sylvia Gordon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
In fact, Son says one of the biggest misunderstandings about her story is that she’s tried to deal with the spiders herself before calling in experts.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026
The misunderstandings are about people’s tones, and not necessarily about the things that people are pointing toward.
—Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Fences and landscaping creeps can cause small misunderstandings that quickly grow into legal disputes.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
Important details get lost, misunderstandings creep in, and decisions slow down.
—Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
The event is designed to offer tools to help improve communication skills, reduce misunderstandings and strengthen everyday connections.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstandings
Noun
-
Dos and don’ts that prevent misinterpretations and ensure brand messaging is intentional.—
Andrea Aker,
Forbes.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Beatty said those early misinterpretations frequently determine what evidence exists later.—
Stephen Martin,
Oklahoma Watch,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For Ossoff, the battleground appears to extend beyond policy disagreements and partisan loyalties.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
-
Tell me about those disagreements and whether the G7 was able to come to any resolution here.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Defense attorney Alexandra Kazarian said California politicians are repeating age-old mistakes of trying to arrest their way out of a mental health crisis.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Some mistakes also went viral, creating an embarrassing moment for McDonald's and raising questions about whether the technology was ready for the drive-thru.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Community association disputes over requests for reasonable accommodations for emotional support animals as provided under the federal Fair Housing Act have grown to become fairly common over the last 10 years.—
Shari Wald Garrett,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
-
For example, the Herbert Hoover library's website emphasizes that some New Deal policies were first proposed by Hoover, while the Richard Nixon library in California was the focus of disputes over how much attention should be given to the Watergate scandal.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the New Atheists were making hay of the fact that such faithful misapprehensions about nature were easily disproved by scientific discovery.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Ronald Reagan did not suffer from such misapprehensions.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Rounding out the top five names were seven write-in votes for the Sacramento Capitals or Capitols — which could be nicknamed the Caps to avoid quarrels over the spelling — and six votes for the Sacramento Stingers or Sting, referencing the collegiate Sacramento State Hornets.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2026
-
In a 2024 study, researchers found that chimpanzee mothers tended to step in to defend their children in quarrels—say, over food or space in a tree—in about half of cases the researchers observed in the wild.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Over the last few months, Taylor has been embroiled in a series of legal battles with Mortensen, first beginning in February with a pair of investigations by Utah police departments into allegations each made that the other acted violently during altercations that month.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
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Durso alleged that Valle was upset after the previous altercations and lost his cool when his friend’s vehicle was damaged by the crowd of youths who rocked and shook the vehicle Valle and his friends arrived in.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Has this reignited the controversies surrounding you and your translation?—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
23 June 2026
-
Around the same time, Hogshead began a letter writing campaign aimed at drawing broader attention to Butler’s controversies and urging other volleyball organizations and teams to disassociate themselves from him.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstandings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstandings. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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