Synonym Chooser

How is the word understand distinct from other similar verbs?

The words appreciate and comprehend are common synonyms of understand. While all three words mean "to have a clear or complete idea of," understand and comprehend are very often interchangeable, with understand sometimes stressing the fact of having attained a firm mental grasp of something.

orders that were fully understood and promptly obeyed

When is it sensible to use appreciate instead of understand?

The synonyms appreciate and understand are sometimes interchangeable, but appreciate implies a just evaluation or judgment of a thing's value or nature.

failed to appreciate the risks involved

Where would comprehend be a reasonable alternative to understand?

Although the words comprehend and understand have much in common, comprehend may stress the process of coming to grips with something intellectually.

I have trouble comprehending your reasons for doing this

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of understand IndieWire understands the festival was waiting to confirm Denzel Washington’s attendance, and indeed the star will be at Cannes. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025 Photos taken of family members, celebrities, sketchbooks, and Pokémon cards are displayed so onlookers can further understand his journey of vulnerability from adolescence to now. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025 At least conceptually, the Giants understand that the leap from 3-14 to Super Bowl contender cannot be made in a year. Howard Megdal, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025 It was not understood that the artist, through rigorous pictorial research, was aiming to chart the history of the image of female genitalia in the history of art from the classical period onward. Paola Ugolini, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for understand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for understand
Verb
  • Streaming activity fuels almost all of Deep Thoughts’ first week, with 63,000 units deriving from the sector, equaling 85.9 million official on-demand U.S. audio and video streams of the album’s songs.
    Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2025
  • This classic name derives from Louis, but was also popularized by Louisa May Alcott.
    Lydia Wang, Parents, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Snow is best known for being part of the ensemble cast in Universal’s Pitch Perfect and its two sequels.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it, the exact cause of the disease is still not known, although a small group of cases are inherited.
    Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • This was two days after the Trump administration touted how low gas prices were throughout the country, specifically recognizing it as a four-year-low cost for March gas prices.
    Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Organizations that view middle management as obstacles fail to recognize their critical role as translators, navigators, and stabilizers of meaningful change.
    Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • After 15 successful years together, the partners of Slate PR have decided to move forward on separate paths.
    Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Some tourists stumbled upon the skinny discount at Chiang Mai Breakfast World and decided to try it, as shown in a pair of Instagram videos that have since gone viral.
    Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In Alex's case, this involved initiating honest conversations with Emily to comprehend the underlying factors contributing to her distress.
    Andriana Eliadis, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • But in order to comprehend that fact, people like Rowling would have to actually listen to ace people, and that’s more intellectually curious than she’s been since at least the 1990s.
    Samantha Riedel, Them., 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • After analyzing his journal, Cordelia was able to decipher the diligent log Wynter kept of each criminal statute and ethical code that Lilly broke while working her role at the White House, which included stealing money and securing shady contracts.
    Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2025
  • As Saxon and Lochlan try to decipher what happened between them, we are asked to think about why we’re aroused (or repulsed) by it.
    Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought that Strong was actually the veteran of the pair, unfazed by the fanfare and the promise of a national semifinal matchup with UCLA in Tampa, Fla., on Friday.
    Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2025
  • A couple years ago, fans even thought that Swift might make a cameo onthe medical drama, which is still on the air after 20 years.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Thai isn’t a particularly easy language to learn but an effort to grasp the basics will always be appreciated by the locals.
    Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • To truly appreciate Toronto's culinary heritage, Kish recommends diving into the city's food history—including surprising discoveries like the Canadian origins of sushi pizza and Hawaiian pizza.
    Kimberly Lyn, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Understand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/understand. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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