comprehension

noun

com·​pre·​hen·​sion ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-shən 

-prē-

1

a

: the act or action of grasping with the intellect : understanding

children who have difficulty with comprehension of spoken language

What the artist actually needs is comprehension of his aims and ideals by men he respects …

—H. L. Mencken

b

: knowledge gained by comprehending

tests that measure the students' comprehension in math

She carried on with full comprehension of the risk involved.

c

: the capacity for understanding fully

mysteries that are beyond our comprehension

The war caused suffering beyond comprehension.

2

a

: the act or process of comprising

the comprehension of all the denominations into one Church

b

: the faculty or capability of including : comprehensiveness

the broad comprehension of the word "animal"

3

: connotation sense 3

Synonyms

• appreciation
• apprehension
• grasp
• grip
• hold
• perception
• percipience
• understanding

Examples of comprehension in a Sentence

The students showed excellent reading comprehension.

the president's comprehension of the current situation in the Middle East

Recent Examples on the Web

James Mangold already has some practice making movies about unknowable legends: his 2005 portrait of Johnny Cash, Walk the Line, understood Cash as a figure beyond anything so pedestrian as comprehension. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 25 Dec. 2024

Foresight involves a nuanced approach of scanning the horizon for emerging trends, analyzing potential scenarios, and considering the implications of various outcomes based on our comprehension of today's cultural orthodoxies. —Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

According to Cleveland Clinic, dyscalculia interrupts the areas in the brain that process skills related to numerical comprehension, similar to how dyslexia complicates the brain’s ability to read. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 Dec. 2024

The first, published in August, established that the dogs do seem to understand and respond to the button board sound cues, signaling comprehension. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin comprehension-, comprehensio, from comprehendere to understand, comprise

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing comprehension

• beyond comprehension
• beyond comprehension/understanding
• beyond one's comprehension

Kids Definition

comprehension

noun

com·​pre·​hen·​sion ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen-chən 

1

: the act of comprehending

2

: knowledge gained by comprehending

3

: the capacity for understanding