misunderstand[verb]Synonyms: misinterpret, be at cross-purposes, get the wrong end of the stick, misapprehend, misconstrue, misjudge, misread, mistake
Antonyms: comprehend, understand
Contrasted words: apprehend, conceive, know, realize, fathom, follow, grasp, seize, take in
Related Words: misconceive,
misconstrue,
misinterpret,
misread,
mistake,
misexplain,
mistranslate,
miscomprehend,
misknow
English Thesaurus: mistake, error, misprint, typo, inaccuracy, ... [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
mistake something incorrect that you accidentally do, say, or write:
a spelling mistake I made a mistake – it should say £230, not £320.error formal a mistake:
an error in the report grammatical errors He had made a serious error on his tax form.misprint a small mistake in something that is printed:
There was a misprint in the article, and instead of ‘pleasant’ it said ‘pheasant’.typo informal a mistake in something that has been typed or printed:
I spotted a couple of typos in the letter.inaccuracy formal a piece of information that is not completely correct:
The report contained several inaccuracies.mix-up a careless mistake in which one name, time, address etc has been confused with another, so that the details of something are wrong:
There was a mix-up over the train times and I missed my train.slip-up a careless mistake when you are doing something:
The other team took advantage of the goalie’s slip-up.oversight a mistake in which you forget something or do not notice something:
Through some oversight, the brochures were not ready by the right date.a slip of the tongue a mistake in which you accidentally say a similar sounding word:
When I said Thursday, I meant Tuesday. It was a slip of the tongue.faux pas /ˌfəʊ ˈpɑː, ˈfəʊ pɑː $ ˌfoʊ ˈpɑː/
formal an embarrassing mistake in a social situation, when you do or say something that you shouldn’t:
Harris, trying to be funny, addressed the waiter as ‘boy’. A deathly silence followed this faux pas.blunder a stupid mistake caused by not thinking carefully enough about what you are saying or doing, which could have serious results:
In a serious blunder by the hospital, two babies were sent home with the wrong parents.gaffe /ɡæf/ an embarrassing and stupid mistake made in a social situation or in public:
a serious gaffe in her speech about immigrationhowler British English a very bad mistake, especially one that shows you do not know something, and that often makes other people laugh:
Photographers should be careful of making classic howlers, such as having a tree grow out of your subject’s head.cock-up British English informal a silly mistake when you are doing something – a very informal use:
They made a cock-up with the bill. The government is anxious to avoid any more cock-ups.misunderstand to think that someone means one thing, when in fact they mean something else:
I think you've misunderstood what I'm saying. Some companies appear to have misunderstood the new rules. Don't misunderstand me - I have nothing against these people.get somebody/something wrong especially spoken to misunderstand someone or something - used especially in everyday spoken English:
Looks like you've got it all wrong. You've got me all wrong - that's not what I meant. Tell me if I've got it wrong.misread/misjudge to wrongly believe that someone’s actions show that they have a particular opinion or feeling, or that a situation means that you should behave in particular way:
The party completely misread the mood of the voters at the last election. Eddie wondered if he should be scared, too. Maybe he had misjudged the situation.misinterpret to not understand the true meaning of someone’s actions or words, so that you believe something that is not in fact true:
A lot of people misinterpreted what I was saying, and have called me a racist. Struggling with an unfamiliar language, the simplest conversations were misinterpreted.misconstrue formal to misunderstand something that someone has said or done:
She claimed that members of the press had misconstrued her comments.miss the point to not understand the main part or meaning of what someone is saying or what something is intended to do:
I think you're missing the whole point of the film. If he thinks it's all about how much profit he can make, then he's missing the point.get the wrong end of the stick British English informal to make a mistake about one part of something that you are told, so that you understand the rest of it in completely the wrong way:
Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick. I thought she was leaving him, not the other way round. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
misunderstand to think that someone means one thing, when in fact they mean something else:
I think you've misunderstood what I'm saying. Some companies appear to have misunderstood the new rules. Don't misunderstand me - I have nothing against these people.get somebody/something wrong especially spoken to misunderstand someone or something - used especially in everyday spoken English:
Looks like you've got it all wrong. You've got me all wrong - that's not what I meant. Tell me if I've got it wrong.mistake to misunderstand someone's intentions, and react in the wrong way:
He was a very private man, and some people mistook this for unfriendliness. I thought she wanted us to leave her alone, but I may been mistaken.misread/misjudge to wrongly believe that someone’s actions show that they have a particular opinion or feeling, or that a situation means that you should behave in particular way:
The party completely misread the mood of the voters at the last election. Eddie wondered if he should be scared, too. Maybe he had misjudged the situation.misinterpret to not understand the true meaning of someone’s actions or words, so that you believe something that is not in fact true:
A lot of people misinterpreted what I was saying, and have called me a racist. Struggling with an unfamiliar language, the simplest conversations were misinterpreted.misconstrue formal to misunderstand something that someone has said or done:
She claimed that members of the press had misconstrued her comments.miss the point to not understand the main part or meaning of what someone is saying or what something is intended to do:
I think you're missing the whole point of the film. If he thinks it's all about how much profit he can make, then he's missing the point.get the wrong end of the stick British English informal to make a mistake about one part of something that you are told, so that you understand the rest of it in completely the wrong way:
Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick. I thought she was leaving him, not the other way round. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲