understanding

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un·der·stand·ing

(ŭn′dər-stăn′dĭng)

a. The ability by which one understands; intelligence: concepts that are beyond the understanding of a child.

b. The quality or condition of one who understands; comprehension: Do you have much understanding of calculus? See Synonyms at reason.

2. Individual or specified judgment or outlook; opinion: In my understanding, this is a good plan.

3. A usually implicit agreement between two or more people or groups: an understanding between neighbors over late-night noise.

4. A disposition to appreciate or share the feelings and thoughts of others; sympathy: Can't you show some understanding for the poor child?

adj.

Characterized by or having good sense or compassion: an understanding teacher.

un′der·stand′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

understanding

(ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ)

1. the ability to learn, judge, make decisions, etc; intelligence or sense

2. personal opinion or interpretation of a subject: my understanding of your predicament.

3. a mutual agreement or compact, esp an informal or private one

4. chiefly Brit an unofficial engagement to be married

5. (Philosophy) philosophy archaic the mind, esp the faculty of reason

6. on the understanding that with the condition that; providing

adj

7. sympathetic, tolerant, or wise towards people

8. possessing judgment and intelligence

ˌunderˈstandingly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

un•der•stand•ing

(ˌʌn dərˈstæn dɪŋ)

n.

1. the mental process of a person who understands; comprehension; personal interpretation.

2. intellectual faculties; intelligence.

3. knowledge of or familiarity with a particular thing.

4. a state of cooperation between people, nations, factions, etc.

5. a mutual agreement.

adj.

6. characterized by comprehension, empathy, or the like.

[before 1050]

Understanding

dysphasia

an impaired state of the power of speech or of the ability to comprehend language, caused by injury to the brain.

empathy

the power of entering into another’s personality and imaginatively experiencing his feelings. — empathie, adj.

epexegesis

an additional explanation; the use of more words to clarify further. — epexegetic, epexegetical, adj.

noology

the science of intuition and reason as phenomena of the mind. — noological, adj.

comprehension

– understanding

1. 'comprehension'

Both comprehension and understanding can be used to talk about someone's ability to understand something.

He noted Bond's apparent lack of comprehension.

The problems of solar navigation seem beyond comprehension.

A very narrow subject would have become too highly technical for general understanding.

2. 'understanding'

If you have an understanding of something, you have some knowledge of it, or you know how it works or what it means.

The past decade has seen huge advances in our general understanding of how the ear works.

The job requires an understanding of Spanish.

You cannot use comprehension with this meaning.

Understanding has another meaning. If there is understanding between people, they are friendly towards each other and trust each other.

What we need is greater understanding between management and workers.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	understanding - the cognitive condition of someone who understands; "he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect" discernment, savvy, apprehension knowing - a clear and certain mental apprehension comprehension - an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result); "how you can do that is beyond my comprehension"; "he was famous for his comprehension of American literature" self-knowledge - an understanding of yourself and your goals and abilities smattering - a slight or superficial understanding of a subject appreciation, grasp, hold - understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something; "he has a good grasp of accounting practices" grasping - understanding with difficulty; "the lecture was beyond his most strenuous graspings" hindsight - understanding the nature of an event after it has happened; "hindsight is always better than foresight" brainstorm, brainwave, insight - the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation realization, realisation, recognition - coming to understand something clearly and distinctly; "a growing realization of the risk involved"; "a sudden recognition of the problem he faced"; "increasing recognition that diabetes frequently coexists with other chronic diseases"
	2.	understanding - the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises; "they had an agreement that they would not interfere in each other's business"; "there was an understanding between management and the workers" agreement conspiracy, confederacy - a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act fair-trade agreement - an agreement (illegal in the United States) between the manufacturer of a trademarked item of merchandise and its retail distributors to sell the item at a price at or above the price set by the manufacturer covenant - (Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return unilateral contract - a one-sided agreement whereby you promise to do (or refrain from doing) something in return for a performance (not a promise) sales agreement, sale - an agreement (or contract) in which property is transferred from the seller (vendor) to the buyer (vendee) for a fixed price in money (paid or agreed to be paid by the buyer); "the salesman faxed the sales agreement to his home office" statement - a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc; "according to his statement he was in London on that day" term, condition - (usually plural) a statement of what is required as part of an agreement; "the contract set out the conditions of the lease"; "the terms of the treaty were generous" bargain, deal - an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each; "he made a bargain with the devil"; "he rose to prominence through a series of shady deals" working agreement - an informal agreement to work together gentlemen's agreement - a personal agreement based on honor and not legally binding written agreement - a legal document summarizing the agreement between parties submission - an agreement between parties in a dispute to abide by the decision of an arbiter entente, entente cordiale - a friendly understanding between political powers oral contract - an agreement that is not in writing and is not signed by the parties but is a real existing contract that lacks only the formal requirement of a memorandum to render it enforceable in litigation reservation - the written record or promise of an arrangement by which accommodations are secured in advance settlement - a conclusive resolution of a matter and disposition of it severance agreement - an agreement on the terms on which an employee will leave suicide pact - an agreement by two or more people to commit suicide together at a given place and time; "the two lovers killed themselves in a suicide pact"
	3.	understanding - an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion; "his sympathies were always with the underdog"; "I knew I could count on his understanding" sympathy inclination, tendency, disposition - an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict"
	4.	understanding - the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination; "we are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil" intellect, reason faculty, mental faculty, module - one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind
Adj.	1.	understanding - characterized by understanding based on comprehension and discernment and empathy; "an understanding friend" perceptive - having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment; "a perceptive eye"; "a perceptive observation"

understanding

noun

1. perception, knowledge, grasp, sense, know-how (informal), intelligence, judgment, awareness, appreciation, insight, skill, penetration, mastery, comprehension, familiarity with, discernment, proficiency They have to have a basic understanding of computers.
perception ignorance, incomprehension, obtuseness

2. sympathy, consideration, sensitivity, love, concern, humanity, affection, warmth, tolerance, goodwill, compassion, kindness, empathy, tenderness, neighbourliness, humanitarianism, fellow feeling, considerateness, kind feeling, kind-heartedness We would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.
sympathy insensitivity

3. agreement, deal, promise, arrangement, accord, contract, bond, pledge, bargain, pact, compact, concord, gentlemen's agreement We had not set a date but there was an understanding between us.
agreement dispute, disagreement

4. belief, view, opinion, impression, interpretation, feeling, idea, conclusion, notion, conviction, judgment, assumption, point of view, perception, suspicion, viewpoint, hunch, way of thinking, estimation, supposition, sneaking suspicion, funny feeling It is my understanding that this has been going on for many years.

adjective

1. sympathetic, kind, compassionate, considerate, kindly, accepting, patient, sensitive, forgiving, discerning, tolerant, responsive, perceptive, forbearing Her boss, who was very understanding, gave her time off.
sympathetic insensitive, unsympathetic, inconsiderate, intolerant, unfeeling, strict

Quotations
"Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will" [Martin Luther King Jr Letter from Birmingham Jail]
"The ill and unfit choice of words wonderfully obstructs the understanding" [Francis Bacon Novum Organum]
"I shall light a candle of understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out" Bible: II Esdras

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

understanding

noun

1. Intellectual hold:

apprehension, comprehension, grasp, grip, hold.

Informal: savvy.

2. The faculty of thinking, reasoning, and acquiring and applying knowledge:

brain (often used in plural), brainpower, intellect, intelligence, mentality, mind, sense, wit.

Slang: smart (used in plural).

3. An act or state of agreeing between parties regarding a course of action:

accord, agreement, arrangement, bargain, compact, deal, pact.

adjective

Cognizant of and comprehending the needs, feelings, problems, and views of others:

empathetic, empathic, feeling, sympathetic.

Translations

مُتَفَهِّمتَفاهُمتَفَهُّمفَهْم، إدْراك

chápajícíchápavýinteligenceporozuměníshoda

forståendeforstandforståelse

verständnisvoll Abmachung Beziehung Einigung Vernunft

αντίληψη κατανόηση που δείχνει κατανόηση

comprensivo entendimiento acuerdo comprensión inteligencia

ymmärtäväinen

compréhensif compréhension entente intelligence relation

uviđavan

értelmi képesség

samkomulagskilningsríkurskilningur

comprensione intesa comprensivo intendimento

話がわかる

이해심 있는

chápajúci

dogovorrazumevajočrazumevanje

förstående

ที่เข้าใจ อย่างเห็นอกเห็นใจ

anlayış anlayışlıhâlden anlamahoşgörülükavrama

thông cảm

体谅同理心善解人意的有同情心的理解力

understanding

[ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ]

A. ADJ [person] → comprensivo; [smile] → de comprensión
to be understanding about sth → ser comprensivo (respecto a algo)
she was very understanding about it → fue muy comprensiva

B. N

1. (= faculty) → entendimiento m
it was beyond my understanding → iba más allá de mi entendimiento
the peace that passeth all understanding (Bible) → la paz que sobrepasa a todo entendimiento

2. [of sth] (= comprehension) → comprensión f; (= awareness) → conciencia f
we need to test children's understanding of facts → hay que poner a prueba la comprensión que los niños tienen de los hechos
our understanding of these processes is still poor → todavía no comprendemos muy bien estos procesos
a basic understanding of computers is essential → se necesitan unos conocimientos básicos de informática
to have a better or greater understanding of sth (= comprehend better) → entender or comprender mejor algo; (= be more aware of) → tener mayor or más conciencia de algo
to have little/no understanding of sth → saber muy poco/nada de algo
a shift in public understanding of the issues of crime and punishment → un cambio de la conciencia pública con respecto a la cuestión de los crímenes y los castigos

3. (= interpretation) → interpretación f
what's your understanding of the Prime Minister's statement? → ¿cómo interpreta usted la declaración del Primer Ministro? → ¿cuál es su interpretación de la declaración del Primer Ministro?
that's my understanding of the situation → esa es mi interpretación de la situación, así es como veo or interpreto la situación

4. (= sympathy) → comprensión f
thank you for your kindness and understanding → le agradezco su amabilidad y comprensión
to show no/little understanding of sth → no mostrar comprensión/mostrar muy poca comprensión hacia algo

5. (= belief) it was my understanding that ...; my understanding was that → tenía entendido que ..., según yo creía ...

6. (= agreement) → acuerdo m
to come to an understanding (with sb) → llegar a un acuerdo (con algn)
to have an understanding (with sb) → tener un acuerdo (con algn)
on the understanding that → a condición de que + subjun
on the understanding that he pays → a condición de que pague
to reach an understanding (with sb) → llegar a un acuerdo (con algn)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

understanding

[ˌʌndə^rˈstændɪŋ]

adj → compréhensif/ive
She's very understanding → Elle est très compréhensive.
Fortunately, he had an understanding wife → Heureusement, sa femme était compréhensive.

(= grasp) [language, concept] → compréhension f
The job requires an understanding of Spanish → Le poste exige une bonne compréhension de l'espagnol.
to have an understanding of sth → avoir une bonne compréhension de qch
They have to have a basic understanding of computers → Ils doivent avoir une bonne compréhension de l'informatique de base.
to have little understanding of sth → méconnaître qch
to have a better understanding of sth → avoir une meilleure compréhension de qch

(= informal agreement) → arrangement m
There was an understanding between us → Nous avions un arrangement.
to come to an understanding with sb → parvenir à un arrangement avec qn
to come to an understanding with sb about sth → parvenir à un arrangement avec qn sur la question de qch
on the understanding that ... → étant bien entendu que ...

(= sympathy) → compréhension f
She showed great love and understanding → Elle fit preuve de beaucoup d'amour et de compréhension.

(= friendliness) → entente f
There was complete understanding between us → Il y avait une entente totale entre nous.
greater understanding between → une meilleure entente entre

(= interpretation) my understanding is that ... → à ce que je comprends ...
My understanding is there has been a thorough investigation → À ce que je comprends, il y a eu une enquête approfondie.
Our understanding is that they wanted to be in Washington → À ce que nous comprenons, ils voulaient être à Washington.

understanding

adj → verständnisvoll; he asked me to be understanding → er bat mich um Verständnis

(= intelligence) → Auffassungsgabe f; (= knowledge) → Kenntnisse pl; (= comprehension, sympathy) → Verständnis nt; her understanding of children → ihr Verständnis nt → für Kinder; because of his complete lack of understanding for the problems → da ihm jedes Verständnis für die Probleme fehlte; my understanding of the situation is that … → ich verstehe die Situation so, dass …; his conduct is beyond human understanding → sein Verhalten ist absolut unbegreiflich; she’s a woman of great understanding → sie ist eine sehr verständnisvolle Frau; it was my understanding that … → ich nahm an or ich war der Meinung, dass …; he has a good understanding of the problem → er kennt sich mit dem Problem gut aus; to promote international understanding → um die internationale Verständigung zu fördern

(= agreement) → Abmachung f, → Vereinbarung f, → Verständigung f; to come to or reach an understanding with somebody → eine Abmachung or Vereinbarung mit jdm treffen; Susie and I have an understanding → Susie und ich haben unsere Abmachung; a degree of understanding → eine gewisse Übereinstimmung, ein gewisses Einvernehmen

(= assumption) → Voraussetzung f; on the understanding that … → unter der Voraussetzung, dass …; on this understanding → unter dieser Voraussetzung

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

understanding

[ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ]

1. adj (person) → comprensivo/a; (smile) → indulgente

2. n

a. (intelligence) → comprensione f
his understanding of the situation is that ... → il modo in cui vede la situazione è che...
it was my understanding that ... → quello che ho capito io era che...+ sub

b. (sympathy) → simpatia, comprensione f

c. (agreement) → accordo, intesa
to come to an understanding with sb → giungere ad un accordo con qn
on the understanding that he pays → a patto che or a condizione che paghi lui

understand

(andəˈstӕnd) verb – past tense, past participle ˌunderˈstood (-ˈstud) –

1. to see or know the meaning of (something). I can't understand his absence; Speak slowly to foreigners so that they'll understand you.

2. to know (eg a person) thoroughly. She understands children/dogs.

3. to learn or realize (something), eg from information received. At first I didn't understand how ill she was; I understood that you were planning to leave today.

ˌunderˈstandable adjective

that can be understood. His anger is quite understandable.

ˌunderˈstanding adjective

(of a person) good at knowing how other people feel; sympathetic. an understanding person; Try to be more understanding!

noun

1. the power of thinking clearly. a man of great understanding.

2. the ability to sympathize with another person's feelings. His kindness and understanding were a great comfort to her.

3. a (state of) informal agreement. The two men have come to / reached an understanding after their disagreement.

make (oneself) understood

to make one's meaning or intentions clear. He tried speaking German to them, but couldn't make himself understood.

understanding

→ مُتَفَهِّم chápavý forstående verständnisvoll που δείχνει κατανόηση comprensivo ymmärtäväinen compréhensif uviđavan comprensivo 話がわかる 이해심 있는 begripvol forståelsesfull wyrozumiały compreensivo понимающий förstående ที่เข้าใจ อย่างเห็นอกเห็นใจ anlayış thông cảm 善解人意的

References in classic literature ?

Yes, I said, but I must first come to an understanding with you, and remind you of what I have mentioned in the course of this discussion, and at many other times.

I understand you, he replied; not perfectly, for you seem to me to be describing a task which is really tremendous; but, at any rate, I understand you to say that knowledge and being, which the science of dialectic contemplates, are clearer than the notions of the arts, as they are termed, which proceed from hypotheses only: these are also contemplated by the understanding, and not by the senses: yet, because they start from hypotheses and do not ascend to a principle, those who contemplate them appear to you not to exercise the higher reason upon them, although when a first principle is added to them they are cognizable by the higher reason.

You have quite conceived my meaning, I said; and now, corresponding to these four divisions, let there be four faculties in the soul-reason answering to the highest, understanding to the second, faith (or conviction) to the third, and perception of shadows to the last-and let there be a scale of them, and let us suppose that the several faculties have clearness in the same degree that their objects have truth.

View in context

We may call these two active and passive understanding respectively.

It is not necessary, in order that a man should "understand" a word, that he should "know what it means," in the sense of being able to say "this word means so-and-so." Understanding words does not consist in knowing their dictionary definitions, or in being able to specify the objects to which they are appropriate.

** On the understanding of words, a very admirable little book is Ribot's "Evolution of General Ideas," Open Court Co., 1899.

To illustrate what is meant by "understanding" words and sentences, let us take instances of various situations.

Such "understanding" may be taken to belong to the nerves and brain, being habits which they have acquired while the language was being learnt.

View in context

His face wore that expression when his dry hands clenched with vexation at her not understanding a sum in arithmetic, when rising from his chair he would walk away from her, repeating in a low voice the same words several times over.

View in context

So, when I said you had less understanding than we, I did not mean that you had less understanding, you understand, but that you had less standundering, so to speak.

"True that we have less understanding?" asked the Champion.

Then they won't dare say you have less understanding, because you understand as much as they do."