Basic Details
Word: Understanding
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Knowing how or why something works or what it means; also sympathy for other people's feelings, or an informal agreement. As an adjective, it means kind and sympathetic.
Synonyms: knowledge, grasp, agreement, sympathy
Antonyms: ignorance, misunderstanding
Word origin: From Old English understandan, to stand among or under, and so to grasp.
How to Spell Understanding
Syllables: un - der - stand - ing
Tricky part: It is a long word made of under + stand + ing, and the d of stand is easy to lose (understaning). There is no doubled d.
Watch out for: understaning, understandding, undrestanding
Memory tip: To understand is to stand under an idea and hold it up. Write under, write stand, then add ing: no letters change.
Idioms and Phrases
- come to an understanding: reach an agreement, often an informal one Example: "The two brothers came to an understanding about sharing the cycle."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Our coach has a good understanding of each player's strengths.
Example 2: Grandmother was always understanding when we broke something by accident.
Example 3: The science film improved our understanding of how volcanoes erupt.
Fun Fact
No one is sure why under plus stand came to mean grasp an idea; one old view is that under once meant among, so you stood among the facts.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The nurse showed great understaning when the frightened boy refused to let go of his mother's hand just before the injection.
a) refused
b) understaning
c) injection
d) frightened
Show answer
b) understaning. Stand keeps its d; take it away and the middle of the word is no longer a real word.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word understanding as used in the sentence:
Mrs Menon was understanding when Kiran explained why his project was late.
a) caring
b) kind
c) unsympathetic
d) patient
Show answer
c) unsympathetic. Kind, patient and caring describe the same gentle attitude; unsympathetic is the reverse.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
A clear dtnsaedinungr of fractions makes ratio sums much easier.
a) understating
b) undertaking
c) understanding
d) outstanding
Show answer
c) understanding. The jumble has three n's and two d's, more than understating, undertaking or outstanding can use.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An understanding friend ____.
a) listens and tries to see your side
b) always takes the last seat
c) never answers your calls
d) laughs at your problems
Show answer
a) listens and tries to see your side
2. We came to an understanding. Here understanding means ____.
a) a lesson
b) an agreement
c) a meal
d) a quarrel
Show answer
b) an agreement
