Langimage
English

misunderstood

|mis/un/der/stood|

B2

🇺🇸

/ˌmɪsʌndərˈstʊd/

🇬🇧

/ˌmɪsʌndəˈstʊd/

(misunderstand)

failure to understand

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

'misunderstand' originates from Middle English, specifically the prefix 'mis-' meaning 'wrongly' and the verb 'understand' meaning 'to grasp the meaning of something'.

Historical Evolution

'misunderstand' changed from the Middle English word 'misunderstanden' and eventually became the modern English word 'misunderstand'.

Meaning Changes

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

Meanings by Part of Speech

Verb 1

past tense or past participle form of 'misunderstand'.

He misunderstood the instructions and made a mistake.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Last updated: 2025/01/11 11:40