misunderstood

adjective

mis·​un·​der·​stood (ˌ)mi-ˌsən-dər-ˈstu̇d 

1

: wrongly or imperfectly understood

a misunderstood question

Mondegreens are misunderstood lyrics, and when we asked our readers for their favorites, not surprisingly the most familiar ones got multiple votes.

—Dave Tianen

2

: not sympathetically appreciated

[Shorty] Rossi has become a name in the animal rescue community for his fierce advocacy for the interests of the pit bull, which he sees as a misunderstood breed.

—Publisher's Weekly

He speaks proudly and protectively of his two directing efforts as if they were beloved but misunderstood children, and he's touchingly eager to explain their unappreciated virtues.

—Ron Rosenbaum

Examples of misunderstood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Released just a few months after The Shining, this big-screen vehicle for everyone’s favorite sailor man was equally misunderstood — a costly flop that likely damaged the careers of both its director and his lead actress. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 19 July 2024

Appearing before a friendly audience at the Economic Club of Chicago, the Republican presidential nominee repeatedly asserted that tariffs are misunderstood as an economic tool. —Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024

Ekta Kapoor, producer of The Buckingham Murders Mehta recently wrote in a social media post that Kapoor is often misunderstood as a producer. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024

Much like Mary Shelley’s famously misunderstood collection of corpse parts, Kaiju monsters are easy to root for and remarkably sympathetic in the right circumstances. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1