French word

malentendu

Pronunciation

IPA/malɑ̃tɑ̃dy/

Meaning

  • masculine nounmisunderstanding

Example

Nous avons eu un malentendu sur l'heure du rendez-vous.

We had a misunderstanding about the appointment time.

Illustration for malentendu (misunderstanding)

More examples

Elle a expliqué pour éviter un malentendu.

She explained to avoid a misunderstanding.

Core concept

A message reaches two people, but each attaches a different meaning to it.

Common phrases

  • malentendu culturel

    cultural misunderstanding

  • éviter un malentendu

    avoid a misunderstanding

Similar words

quiproquo: An error caused by confusing names, identities, or positions.
méprise: A misreading of the meaning of a word or phrase.
incompréhension: An inability to understand the information that was conveyed.
ambiguïté: An unclear expression or situation open to two or more interpretations.

Definition in French

Un malentendu désigne l'erreur d'interprétation d'un message entre personnes, entraînant une incompréhension mutuelle.

Word origin

Malentendu combines the prefix mal- with entendu, the past participle of entendre, and originally describes something understood badly.

Usage tips

  • Malentendu is masculine, so the usual article is un, as in un malentendu.

Opposites

Related words

  • malentendremisunderstandverb

Word lists with this word