misunderstandings

noun

plural of misunderstanding
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

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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

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 misunderstandings Carlson, however, dismissed the complaints from rival programs as largely stemming from either jealousy or misunderstandings. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026 Whenever people work together, there will be occasions for frustration, misunderstandings and differences of opinion. — Candice Gottlieb-Clark, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Getting on the same page early can prevent the kind of small misunderstandings that turn into larger fights later. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026 From there, the tension stems not from an unending well of sustained suspense but from the shrapnel-like feeling of worry that comes from enduring too many uncomfortable misunderstandings at once. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 July 2026 Generational differences in parenting styles can cause misunderstandings between parents and grandparents. — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 17 July 2026 Americans are in a perpetual debate, which is no surprise, as retrogrades are notorious for misunderstandings and communication errors. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026 Ideally, misunderstandings and disputes are resolved through conversation. — Deborah Mower, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 The idea is to allow for accidents, miscommunications or misunderstandings that the participants agree should not scuttle talks. — ABC News, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstandings
  1. misinterpretations
  2. disagreements
  3. mistakes
  4. disputes
  5. misapprehensions
  6. quarrels
  7. altercations
  8. controversies
Noun
  • The researchers say the inability of LLMs to provide the correct location is an inherent flaw that arises from training biases or from misinterpretations of instructions within the current context.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
  • An agent can’t reliably detect its own misinterpretations using the same model that generated them.
    — Stu Sjouwerman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of misinterpretations
Noun
  • The disagreements were intelligent, experienced, and specific — and reading them in bulk did not soften my view.
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • Recent tensions over immigration enforcement The allegations follow recent disagreements between Abarca and Forté over a legislative hearing examining local agencies’ involvement in a federal operation at La Fontanella Foods.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026
Definition of disagreements
Noun
  • One of the biggest leadership mistakes is waiting until a crisis to define standards.
    — Nadia AlShomali, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • But as writer-director Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Odyssey makes a point of emphasizing, the legendary Greek general from Homer’s ancient epic (portrayed in the film by Matt Damon) also made a lot of extremely avoidable mistakes.
    — Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 17 July 2026
Definition of mistakes
Noun
  • That explains why your initial disputes with PayPal and American Express were denied.
    — Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
  • Smart contracts, tokenized assets, validator activity, and decentralized networks can create disputes that do not fit neatly within traditional commercial frameworks.
    — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of disputes
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
Definition of misapprehensions
Noun
  • Candi is the family mediator Like any father-daughter coaching dynamic, Corey and Coco have had their fair share of quarrels on the tennis court.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of quarrels
Noun
  • Often, altercations involving a resident with dementia erupt after danger signals are missed or ineffectively addressed, according to a KFF Health News examination of court records, police reports, and state and federal inspection reports.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
  • Retired Miami Heat forward and captain Udonis Haslem found himself in more than a few altercations during his NBA playing career.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Definition of altercations
Noun
  • Routine offside decisions were cleared up quickly, except for one aberration in Switzerland vs Qatar, and for once there were no major handball controversies.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Schiff said years of reporting detailing undisclosed gifts, financial conflicts of interest and controversies involving Supreme Court justices have undermined public confidence in the federal judiciary and prompted the legislative package.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of controversies

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Cite this Entry

“Misunderstandings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstandings. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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