Langimage
English

misunderstanding

|mis/un/der/stand/ing|

B2

🇺🇸

/ˌmɪsʌndərˈstændɪŋ/

🇬🇧

/ˌmɪsʌndəˈstændɪŋ/

(misunderstand)

failure to understand

Base FormPlural3rd Person Sing.PastPast ParticiplePresent Participle
misunderstandmisunderstandingsmisunderstandsmisunderstoodmisunderstoodmisunderstanding
Etymology
Etymology Information

'misunderstanding' originates from Middle English, specifically the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the verb 'understand' meaning 'to comprehend'.

Historical Evolution

'misunderstand' changed from the Old English word 'understandan' and eventually became the modern English word 'misunderstand'.

Meaning Changes

Initially, it meant 'to wrongly comprehend something', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Noun 1

a failure to understand something correctly.

There was a misunderstanding about the meeting time.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Noun 2

a disagreement or argument due to a failure to understand each other.

Their friendship ended over a simple misunderstanding.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Last updated: 2025/01/11 11:35