student asking question

Is "misapprehension" just a fancy word for "misunderstanding"? Or is there a difference?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

They are slightly different! "Misapprehension" means a mistaken belief or interpretation of something. A "misunderstanding" is when you don't understand something correctly- which is, usually, when something can only be one thing, it's more concrete or has only one way that it should be understood. A belief is more subjective and can evolve over time, so his interpretation of what his accomplishments were grew beyond himself and original thinking. Ex: I was under a misapprehension that I had to do everything by myself, but I soon realised that wasn't true. = I believed I had to do everything by myself, but I soon realised that wasn't true. Ex: I misunderstood what my colleague said and did the task wrong.

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