as in misses
to fail to understand the true or actual meaning of
you misunderstood that poem because you took everything so literally
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Recent Examples of misunderstands
This latter position fundamentally misunderstands the PRC’s determination to absorb Taiwan; expressing weakness is more likely to invite a Chinese invasion.
—
Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
This fundamentally misunderstands physical infrastructure.
—Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Offshore planning that relies primarily on obscurity misunderstands how transparent global finance has become.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Requiring them to operate as ordinary MPIA applicants misunderstands their role and undermines their purpose.
—Vaughn Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
Treating Pahlavi as a shortcut to stability misunderstands both Iran’s society and the nature of this uprising.
—Jalil Pakray, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Flight also suggests the report fundamentally misunderstands macroeconomic fundamentals.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
This despite the fact that Rubio, like Vance, clearly misunderstands Europe and is in denial about the threats facing the United States and the transatlantic alliance.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
The profit accusation also misunderstands that vaccine payments don’t go into physicians’ pockets.
—Jess Steier, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
Michelle Kuo, The Dial, 14 Apr. 2026
This fundamentally misunderstands physical infrastructure.
—Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Offshore planning that relies primarily on obscurity misunderstands how transparent global finance has become.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Requiring them to operate as ordinary MPIA applicants misunderstands their role and undermines their purpose.
—Vaughn Stewart, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
Treating Pahlavi as a shortcut to stability misunderstands both Iran’s society and the nature of this uprising.
—Jalil Pakray, Sun Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Flight also suggests the report fundamentally misunderstands macroeconomic fundamentals.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
This despite the fact that Rubio, like Vance, clearly misunderstands Europe and is in denial about the threats facing the United States and the transatlantic alliance.
—Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
The profit accusation also misunderstands that vaccine payments don’t go into physicians’ pockets.
—Jess Steier, STAT, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misunderstands
Verb
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This is a good quarterback room that should be able to keep the ship afloat if Prescott misses a small amount of time.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Nutritional Benefits Beyond Protein Focusing only on protein misses what mushrooms actually do well.—
Morgan Pearson,
Verywell Health,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Finally, the policy misconstrues preventative care.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Share the plan in writing so no one misreads it.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
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The big risk as things stand is that an adversary misreads his mixed signals, oversteps, and triggers an escalation nobody wants.—
Comfort Ero,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Suns didn’t help themselves with 19 turnovers, mistakes Oklahoma City turned into 34 points.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In a category that often mistakes complexity and aggression for innovation, this kind of approach is surprisingly rare.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Despite that promise, reports indicate the tool often misinterprets requests.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The administration misinterprets a Nixon-era law in its bid to reimpose tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misunderstands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misunderstands. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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