misunderstand
gb/mˌɪsəndɚstˈænd/ us/mˌɪsəndɚstˈænd/
B1
Engleză
~ 8000
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
B1
action
1
not understand something correctly
to understand words, ideas, or a situation in the wrong way
Tipar de utilizare:
to misunderstand [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "misunderstand" with "not hear" and say things like *"Sorry, I misunderstand"* when they mean *"Sorry, I didn't hear you"* or *"Sorry, I didn't understand"*. Another common mistake is spelling it with a double 's' (*"missunderstand"*). Also, "misunderstand" is not usually used in continuous form; it is more natural to say "I misunderstand" or "I misunderstood" than *"I am misunderstanding"*.
Sinonime
misinterpret (slightly more formal, often used for texts, data, or statements that are read or analyzed.)
|
get wrong (informal phrase for failing to understand or answer something correctly.)
Antonime
understand (general opposite; to have a correct idea of what something means.)
|
grasp (to understand something clearly, often something difficult.)
Colocații
completely misunderstand
|easily misunderstand
|misunderstand the question
|misunderstand the situation
|misunderstand what [someone] means
|common to misunderstand
Teme
communication
|daily life
|thinking
|education
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- I think you misunderstand the main point of the article.
- Many tourists misunderstand the local rules and end up breaking the law without meaning to.
- If you speak too fast, students may misunderstand the instructions.
- The manager misunderstood the data and made the wrong decision.
- She misunderstood what was required and did the opposite of what we needed.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I misunderstood the question on the test.
- He misunderstood my words and gave the wrong answer.
- They misunderstood the rules of the game.
- We misunderstood the time and arrived late.
- The child misunderstood the teacher and went to the wrong room.
Verb
B2
action
2
misjudge someone or their intentions
to have a wrong idea about a person or what they want to do
Tipar de utilizare:
to misunderstand [someone] / [someone]'s intentions
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may use "misunderstand" only for words or language, and not realize it is also common for talking about people and their feelings or intentions, as in "I feel misunderstood." They may also overuse "judge" instead of the more natural "misunderstand" in emotional contexts.
Sinonime
misjudge (focuses more on forming an unfair or incorrect opinion of someone's character or actions.)
|
misread (often used to mean understanding someone's behavior or feelings in the wrong way.)
Antonime
appreciate (to recognize and value someone's true qualities or efforts, the opposite of wrongly judging them.)
|
see someone clearly (informal phrase for understanding a person accurately.)
Colocații
feel misunderstood
|deeply misunderstood
|be badly misunderstood
|misunderstand [someone]'s intentions
|misunderstand each other
Teme
relationships
|emotions
|communication
Exemple
- She often feels misunderstood by her parents.
- I completely misunderstood him; he was trying to help, not criticize.
- They misunderstood each other and stopped talking for months.
- His silence was misunderstood as a lack of interest.
- You’re misunderstanding her intentions; she’s not trying to insult you.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He feels misunderstood at work.
- I think you misunderstand her. She is actually very kind.
- We misunderstood each other and had a big argument.
- People often misunderstand teenagers.
- She misunderstood his smile and thought he was laughing at her.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
misunderstand
IPA
GB/mˌɪsəndɚstˈænd/
US/mˌɪsəndɚstˈænd/
Silabe și accent
mis - un - der - stand (4 silabe)
Stress on 3rd syllable (der)
Forme ale cuvântului
Verb
- Base: misunderstand
- 3rd Person Singular: misunderstands
- Present Participle: misunderstanding
- Past: misunderstood
- Past Participle: misunderstood
Familie de cuvinte
Aspecte importante
- Irregular past: misunderstood Verb
- Irregular past participle: misunderstood Verb
Expresii
be misunderstood
1/bˈi mˌɪsəndɚstˈʊd/
fixed phrase
not understood by others
to have other people understand you, your ideas, or your feelings in the wrong way
Exemple
- Many creative people feel they are misunderstood by society.
- He is often misunderstood because he is very quiet.
don't misunderstand me
1/dˈoʊnt mˌɪsəndɚstˈænd mˈi/
fixed phrase
asking not to be taken wrongly
used before or after a statement to say you do not want the other person to understand your words in a bad or wrong way
Exemple
- Don't misunderstand me, I like your idea, but we don't have the budget for it right now.
- Don't misunderstand me, I'm not angry with you; I'm just tired.
get the wrong end of the stick
1/ɡˈɛt ðə ɹˈɔŋ ˈɛnd əv ðə stˈɪk/
idiom
informal
completely misunderstand a situation
to understand a situation or what someone says in a very wrong way
Exemple
- I think you've got the wrong end of the stick; I never said you were fired.
- She got the wrong end of the stick and thought they were breaking up.
take someone the wrong way
1/tˈeɪk sˈʌmwˌʌn ðə ɹˈɔŋ wˈeɪ/
idiom
misinterpret words as offensive
to think someone is being rude or unkind, even though that is not what they mean
Exemple
- Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you could prepare more next time.
- He took her joke the wrong way and got upset.
get someone wrong
1/ɡˈɛt sˈʌmwˌʌn ɹˈɔŋ/
fixed phrase
Misunderstand someone’s meaning or intent
To not understand what someone means correctly.
Exemple
- Don’t get me wrong—I like your idea, but it needs work.
- You’ve got me wrong; I’m not trying to blame you.
- I think you got him wrong; he wasn’t being rude.
- I think you’ve got her wrong—she’s actually very friendly once you know her.