understanding
Other forms: understandings
To be understanding is to be sympathetic to someone’s woes. Understanding a concept means you get it. Your understanding might be that your mother will always drive you to school if you miss the bus.
The sum of your knowledge of a certain topic, is your understanding of it. This can change, or deepen as you learn more. But being an understanding person doesn't take a lot of studying — it takes opening your heart to appreciate what someone else feels or experiences. If someone says to you, "I thought we had an understanding," you must have done something unexpected. Here, understanding means "an agreement."
Definitions of understanding
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the cognitive condition of someone who understands“he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect”
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synonyms:
apprehension, discernment, savvy
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types:
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comprehension
an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result)
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self-knowledge
an understanding of yourself and your goals and abilities
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smattering
a slight or superficial understanding of a subject
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appreciation, grasp, hold
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
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grasping
understanding with difficulty
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hindsight
understanding the nature of an event after it has happened
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brainstorm, brainwave, insight
the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
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realisation, realization, recognition
coming to understand something clearly and distinctly
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sense
a natural appreciation or ability
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light
mental understanding as an enlightening experience
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revelation
an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
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breakthrough, discovery, find
a productive insight
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flash
a sudden brilliant understanding
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type of:
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knowing
a clear and certain mental apprehension
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the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination
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type of:
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faculty, mental faculty, module
one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind
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faculty, mental faculty, module
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an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion“I knew I could count on his understanding”
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synonyms:
sympathy
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type of:
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disposition, inclination, tendency
an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others
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disposition, inclination, tendency
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the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises“there was an understanding between management and the workers”
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synonyms:
agreement
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types:
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confederacy, conspiracy
a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act
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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
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covenant
(Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return
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unilateral contract
a one-sided agreement whereby you promise to do (or refrain from doing) something in return for a performance (not a promise)
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sale, sales agreement
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)
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bargain, deal
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
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working agreement
an informal agreement to work together
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gentlemen's agreement
a personal agreement based on honor and not legally binding
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written agreement
a legal document summarizing the agreement between parties
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submission
an agreement between parties in a dispute to abide by the decision of an arbiter
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entente, entente cordiale
a friendly understanding between political powers
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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
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reservation
the written record or promise of an arrangement by which accommodations are secured in advance
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settlement
a conclusive resolution of a matter and disposition of it
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severance agreement
an agreement on the terms on which an employee will leave
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suicide pact
an agreement by two or more people to commit suicide together at a given place and time
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contract
a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
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conspiracy of silence
a conspiracy not to talk about some situation or event
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conditional sale
a sale in which the buyer receives title to the property only upon the performance of some condition (usually the full payment of the purchase price)
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execution sale, forced sale, judicial sale, sheriff's sale
a sale of property by the sheriff under authority of a court's writ of execution in order satisfy an unpaid obligation
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submission
a legal document summarizing an agreement between parties in a dispute to abide by the decision of an arbiter
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compact, concordat, covenant
a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action
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indenture
formal agreement between the issuer of bonds and the bondholders as to terms of the debt
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obligation
a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply
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accord, pact, treaty
a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
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accommodation
a settlement of differences
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conclusion
a final settlement
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out-of-court settlement
resolution of a dispute prior to the rendering of a final decision by the trial court
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property settlement
(matrimonial law) the division of property owned or acquired by marriage partners during their marriage
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accord and satisfaction
the settlement of a debt by paying less than the amount demanded in exchange for extinguishing the debt
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golden handshake
a lucrative severance agreement offered to an employee (usually as an incentive to retire)
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escrow
a written agreement (or property or money) delivered to a third party or put in trust by one party to a contract to be returned after fulfillment of some condition
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type of:
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statement
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
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characterized by understanding based on comprehension and discernment and empathy“an understanding friend”
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Synonyms:
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perceptive
having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment
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perceptive
Pronunciation
US
/ˈəndərˌstændɪŋ/
UK
/əndəˈstændɪŋ/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘understanding'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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