misunderstand
/ˌmɪsʌndəˈstænd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmɪsʌndərˈstænd/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstand/ (ame, mw)
misunderstand — 動詞
- misunderstandpresent simple I / you / we / they
- misunderstandshe / she / it
- misunderstoodpast simple
- misunderstanding-ing form
1. to form a wrong idea about what someone says or what something means, believing
誤解
錯誤理解他人意思或事物含義
to form a wrong idea about what someone says or what something means, believing something that is not true
Ishaan misunderstood the bus timetable and ended up waiting for an hour.
Ishaan 誤解了公車時刻表，結果等了一個小時。
misunderstood + noun phrase as direct object
Aoi's note said 'meet at seven,' but Romi misunderstood and arrived at six.
Aoi 的紙條上寫著「七點見」，但 Romi 誤會了，六點就到了。
When the teacher explained the task, João misunderstood and wrote on the wrong topic.
老師解釋任務時，João 會錯意，寫錯了題目。
The printed instructions were so unclear that they were easily misunderstood.
那份印刷說明寫得太不清楚，很容易被誤解。
Tara tried to ask for directions but her question was misunderstood by the stranger.
Tara 想問路，但陌生人誤解了她的問題。
- misread
suggests misjudging a situation or someone's feelings
- misinterpret
focuses on assigning the wrong meaning to words or actions
- misconstrue
more formal, often implies a negative or wilful misunderstanding
- understand
general term for grasping meaning correctly
- grasp
to understand something completely
文法句型
misunderstand + noun phrase
misunderstand + wh-clause
用法筆記
This sense commonly takes a direct object (misunderstand the question, misunderstand someone) or is used intransitively (I misunderstood). The past tense is most frequent in apologies and explanations.
常見錯誤
2. used when people fail to see someone's good qualities, leaving that person with
不被理解
他人未能看出某人的優點
used when people fail to see someone's good qualities, leaving that person with the feeling that others do not truly know them
Adaeze felt misunderstood by her classmates, who saw her shyness as unfriendliness.
Adaeze 覺得自己不被同學理解，他們把她的害羞看成不友善。
felt misunderstood — passive-like sense with 'feel'
Omar was often misunderstood as a child because he preferred reading to playing sports.
Omar 小時候常被誤解，因為他喜歡讀書勝過運動。
was misunderstood + time context (as a child)
The inventor was misunderstood by her peers, who laughed at her early designs.
那位發明家不被同儕理解，他們嘲笑她早期的設計。
Yael thinks her manager completely misunderstands her working style, so his feedback misses the mark.
Yael 認為她的主管完全不理解她的工作方式，所以給的意見往往不到位。
Romi's quiet personality was often misunderstood by people who expected constant conversation.
Romi 安靜的個性常被喜歡不停聊天的人誤解。
- unappreciated
emphasises lack of recognition rather than lack of understanding
- misjudged
focuses on people forming an incorrect opinion about someone
- understood
general opposite
- appreciated
implies that good qualities are recognised
文法句型
be misunderstood
be misunderstood + by + noun phrase
用法筆記
Most natural in the passive voice (be misunderstood) or with stative adjectives (feel misunderstood). The active form (someone misunderstands someone) is possible but less common, typically describing a repeated pattern rather than a single event.