Word family noun understanding ≠ misunderstanding adjective understandable understanding misunderstood verb understand ≠ misunderstand adverb understandably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmisunderstandingmis‧un‧der‧stand‧ing /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstændɪŋ $ -ər-/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable, uncountable]UNDERSTAND# a problem caused by someone not understanding a question, situation, or instruction correctly There must have been some misunderstanding. I didn’t order all these books.2 [countable]UNDERSTAND# an argument or disagreement that is not very serious – often used humorously Terry had a little misunderstanding with the police last night.► see thesaurus at argumentCOLLOCATIONSverbsavoid a misunderstandingState clearly what you expect, to avoid misunderstandings later on.cause/lead to a misunderstandingHearing loss can cause misunderstandings, when what you say is not correctly heard.Don’t just assume that you know what he means; that can lead to misunderstandings.a misunderstanding arises (=a misunderstanding starts)Misunderstandings can easily arise when people from different cultures meet.clear up/correct a misunderstanding (=get rid of a misunderstanding)I want to talk to you, to try and clear up any misunderstandings.be based on a misunderstanding (=happen or be done as a result of a misunderstanding)The whole argument was based on a misunderstanding.phrasesthere has been a misunderstandingThere’s been a misunderstanding about what I meant.there must be some misunderstanding (=used when you think someone has not understood something correctly)I think there must be some misunderstanding - I don’t know anyone called Barry.there is no misunderstandingI am writing to make sure there is no misunderstanding between us.something is all a misunderstanding (=used when saying that a situation happened because of a mistake)Why don’t you call him and tell him it was all a misunderstanding?a bit of a misunderstanding British EnglishI’m afraid it’s all a bit of a misunderstanding.adjectivesa serious/terrible misunderstandingThere have been some serious misunderstandings which have led to conflict.a little misunderstanding (=one that is not serious)We need to clear up this little misunderstanding.a simple misunderstanding (=one that is not serious and is easy to correct)It was a simple misunderstanding: I thought the meeting was on Wednesday, not Thursday.a complete/total misunderstandingThere seems to be a complete misunderstanding of how the changes will affect us.a fundamental misunderstanding (=a misunderstanding of the main point of something)a fundamental misunderstanding of Freud’s theoriesa widespread misunderstanding (=a misunderstanding that many people share)There is a widespread misunderstanding of the purpose of the law.a cultural misunderstanding (=a misunderstanding caused by different cultures doing things in a different way)Cultural misunderstandings have led to fights between students.Examples from the Corpus
misunderstanding• Misunderstandings can be caused by cultural differences between workers.• There has been a misunderstanding of the Government's plans from the point of view of social security benefits.• There seems to have been a misunderstanding. I didn't order steak.• On another front, Farrakhan met last week with 10 Phoenix area business and community leaders to try to erase misunderstandings.• He even met with the Anti-Defamation League to try and clear the air of misunderstandings.• This helps avoid a lot of misunderstandings down the shared road of life.• Listening carefully reduces misunderstandings.• It is no wonder that misunderstandings arose, but they should not have affected our professional relationship.• Cultural differences between people from different countries can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. 