understandingnoun
uk/ˌʌn.dəˈstæn.dɪŋ/us/ˌʌn.dɚˈstæn.dɪŋ/understanding noun (KNOWLEDGE)
B2 [ U ] knowledge about a subject, situation, etc. or about how something works:
More examples
- It certainly helped to deepen my understanding of the situation.
- His answer demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of the question.
- Some understanding of grammar is fundamental to learning a language.
- You need to demonstrate to the examiners that you have more than a literal understanding of the text.
- Academics sitting in ivory towers have no understanding of what is important for ordinary people.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Understanding and comprehending
- apprehend
- apprehension
- at your fingertips idiom
- attune
- bear in on/upon
- common
- fathom
- feel
- fingertip
- hit
- make sth/sb of sth/sb
- make sth/sb out
- mind
- penetrate
- picture
- read between the lines idiom
- reading
- realization
- take sth in
- twig
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understanding noun (SYMPATHY)
B2 [ S or U ] a positive relationship between two people or groups in which they feel sympathy for each other:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Friendly
- affable
- amiable
- amicable
- amity
- approachable
- closeness
- comrade
- familiarity
- family-friendly
- first name
- forthcoming
- fraternal
- Freemasonry
- likeable
- matey
- neighbourly
- nice
- nicely
- tête-à-tête
- well in (with) idiom
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understanding noun (AGREEMENT)
C1 [ C ] an informal agreement between people:
If you do something on the understanding that something else can or will happen, you do it because someone else has promised that it can or will:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Accepting & agreeing
- accept
- accredited
- assent
- be ruled by sb idiom
- buy-in
- conclude
- countenance
- court
- embrace
- gauntlet
- leap
- listen to reason idiom
- middle ground
- mustn't grumble idiom
- pounce
- reach
- signatory
- swallow
- take sb up on sth
- unquestioning
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understandingadjective
uk/ˌʌn.dəˈstæn.dɪŋ/us/ˌʌn.dɚˈstæn.dɪŋ/approvingB2 An understanding person who has the ability to know how other people are feeling, and can forgive them if they do something wrong:
More examples
- She's very understanding - you feel you can really open your heart to her.
- Look, it's not Tom's fault - you could be a little more understanding!
- I hadn't expected her to be so understanding.
- I try very hard to be understanding.
- Fortunately, my girlfriend is very understanding.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sympathy & compassion
- a good listener idiom
- a shoulder to cry on idiom
- aw
- bad/hard/tough luck! idiom
- better luck next time idiom
- cloud
- feel for sb
- fellow feeling
- go out to sb
- hard luck! idiom
- hard/tough cheese! idiom
- pity
- poor
- relate
- relate to sb
- sad
- sensitive
- sensitivity
- shoulder
- solace
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