ENGLISH
REFERENCE

comprehension

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌkɑmpɹiˈhɛnʃən// UK //kˌɒmpɹɪhˈɛnʃən// com·pre·hen·sion

n. the ability to understand something fully. It is the act of following the meaning of a story, a conversation, or a difficult idea.

n. the capacity for understanding fully; the act or process of grasping with the mind. Often used in educational contexts to describe the ability to extract meaning from text or speech.


SIMPLE

The reading test measures your level of comprehension.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher provided a series of questions to check the students' comprehension of the complex historical text.

COMPLEX

While the technical details were accurate, the sheer density of the prose hindered the general public's comprehension of the scientific discovery.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French compréhension, from Latin comprehensiō (“taking together”), from com- (“with, together”) + prehendō (“take”).

Usage

Uncountable in its general sense; frequently paired with 'beyond' to describe something impossible to understand ('beyond my comprehension').

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