1
as in mistake
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
tried to resolve their misunderstandings peacefully
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in missing
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
you misunderstood that poem because you took everything so literally
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misunderstanding
Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Koenders later described it as a misunderstanding, according to that affidavit.
—Ryan Oehrli
march 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2026
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
Interestingly, people often described fears that were based on misunderstanding how technology works – or fails to work.
—Alaina Vandervoort Burns, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misunderstanding
Noun
Art Tinoco, the Riverside County registrar of voters, has refuted that number — saying it was based on a misunderstanding of raw data that had not been fully processed.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Koenders later described it as a misunderstanding, according to that affidavit.
—Ryan Oehrli
march 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
People keep either misunderstanding or forgetting that there are not one but two revolutions going on here, the second being accelerated computing.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
Interestingly, people often described fears that were based on misunderstanding how technology works – or fails to work.
—Alaina Vandervoort Burns, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misunderstanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstanding
Noun
-
There were almost too many mistakes to count.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Getting your taxes done early can help reduce stress, avoid last-minute mistakes, and give you more time to fix any issues, such as missing forms or incorrect personal information.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The high-profile dispute has, over the past year and a half, ensnared several other celebrities in Lively and Baldoni's orbit as the discovery process in their case exposed the stars' private communications.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Owens had expressed frustrations to her mother about an ongoing dispute with her neighbor Susan Lorincz that dated back to February 2022.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The MorphoScan is even missing a couple of quality-of-life features present on the Etekcity scale, including a safe mode for pregnant women and pacemaker users that disables the BIA electrical current for weight-only measurements.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Before the opening faceoff there was a tribute to Vancouver native Evander Kane, who returned to the lineup to play his 1,001st game after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Keith Poliakoff, attorney for the developer, says his client will appeal the ruling and also request that the lower court rehear the case due to what Poliakoff called a misinterpretation of the Live Local Act.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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Families have seen how silence can lead to misinterpretation, resentment among siblings or prolonged disputes.—
Bruce Helmer,
Twin Cities,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But there are issues and there are disagreements and there are hurt feelings.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Yes, but major disagreements remained.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
American humor has always been a tool for questioning orthodoxy, challenging certainty and keeping people from mistaking their sacred stories for reality.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The result is, at best, a category error; at worst, a moral panic—mistaking architecture for art, and art for authority.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Manager Mark DeRosa’s misspeaking or misreading of the tiebreaker scenarios didn’t sink his club.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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In their response, government prosecutors criticized the Sansons’ arguments as off-target and based on a misreading of the law.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Brockton man charged after allegedly shooting at officers Jailson Andrade, 44, faces several charges after allegedly firing at Brockton Police officers during an altercation early Sunday morning, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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The pair have been in physical altercations in the past, including Manning's 2012 arrest for allegedly punching, scratching, kicking and choking Hartman – whom media outlets have referred to as Manning's former make-up artist and assistant – and slamming her head against the floor and wall.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstanding. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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