comprehension

noun

com·​pre·​hen·​sion ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-shən How to pronounce comprehension (audio)
-prē-
Synonyms of comprehensionnext
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

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

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 But the true extent of the dogs’ comprehension is still unknown, even by the study’s authors, since the dogs were responding to their own toys and objects that the owners brought to the lab. —Issy Ronald, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024 Naipaul’s novel takes in Mohun Biswas’s life episode by episode, telling it from inside his protagonist’s comprehension, as a story of tremulous ambition and anxiety. —James Wood, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for comprehension 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comprehension.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of comprehension was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing comprehension

Dictionary Entries Near comprehension

comprehensible

comprehension

comprehensive

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Comprehension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprehension. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

comprehension

noun
com·​pre·​hen·​sion ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen-chən How to pronounce comprehension (audio)
1
: the act of comprehending
2
: knowledge gained by comprehending
3
: the capacity for understanding
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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