misunderstanding
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a failure to understand something correctly, which often leads to a mistake.
a failure to interpret or comprehend a statement, situation, or instruction accurately.
Simple“There was a misunderstanding about the meeting time, so I arrived an hour late.”
In context“The project was delayed due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the client's technical requirements during the initial briefing phase.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a small argument or disagreement between people.
a minor disagreement or quarrel, often used as a polite euphemism for a conflict.
Simple“The two neighbors had a slight misunderstanding over where the fence should be.”
In context“The diplomat worked quickly to resolve the misunderstanding between the two departments before it escalated into a public scandal.”
UsageOften used with the adjectives 'slight', 'minor', or 'unfortunate' to soften the description of a conflict.
Synonyms
From Middle English mys undirstonding, equivalent to misunderstand + -ing. Compare Dutch misverstand (“misunderstanding”), German Missverständnis (“misunderstanding”), Swedish missförstånd (“misunderstanding”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.