comprehension

[kom-pri-hen-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of comprehending.

2. the state of being comprehended.

3. perception or understanding.

   His comprehension of physics is amazing for a young student.

4. capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; power to grasp ideas; ability to know.

5. Logic.,  the connotation of a term.

6. inclusion.

7. comprehensiveness.

comprehension

/ ˌkɒmprɪˈhɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act or capacity of understanding

2. the state of including or comprising something; comprehensiveness

3. education an exercise consisting of a previously unseen passage of text with related questions, designed to test a student's understanding esp of a foreign language

4. obsolete,  logic the attributes implied by a given concept or term; connotation

Other Word Forms

• miscomprehension noun
• noncomprehension noun
• precomprehension noun
• supercomprehension noun
• uncomprehension noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of comprehension¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin comprehēnsiōn-, stem of comprehēnsiō, from comprehēns(us) “understood” (past participle of comprehendere “to understand,” literally, “to seize together”; comprehend ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

“This deliberate act of violence is an act of cruelty that is beyond comprehension,” O’Hara told reporters.

From Salon

The other element that elevates this particular book is each writer’s individual understanding and comprehension of Sinéad O’Connor’s music.

From Salon

The horror unleashed through war and the weaponization of hunger defies comprehension.

From Salon

He said the reason for the "malicious" and "mindless" vandalism was "beyond comprehension" and the way it was felled to land across the Roman wall was "reckless in the extreme".

From BBC

And while she’s got a point about the lack of reading comprehension, the public’s reaction to her announcement was well-earned and measured, considering how quickly AI is being adopted everywhere we look.

From Salon

Related Words

• apprehension 
• awareness