Decipher
Decipher verb - To have a clear idea of.
Usage example: a convoluted thriller, the plot of which I was never able to actually decipher
Understand is a synonym for decipher in see topic. In some cases you can use "Understand" instead a verb "Decipher", when it comes to topics like make out, construe, decode, figure out.
Understand
Understand verb - To have a clear idea of.
Usage example: after a few weeks in Russia I began to understand the language a little bit
Decipher is a synonym for understand in see topic. You can use "Decipher" instead a verb "Understand", if it concerns topics such as comprehend, construe.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
-
The only words in the entire game are written the options menu, the title screen, and the ending credits while the only spoken words are part of the ending song "I was born for this", which is in multiple languages and hard to decipher or understand without knowing the lyrics and sources.
Source: Video Game / Journey -
Nana can understand what she's saying, though, and often repeats it back so the audience can understand, but when Nana isn't around, it's up to the audience to decipher what Mona is trying to say.
Source: Series / Nanalan - He's long since given up on trying to study and decipher magic and has accepted that it's just something he'll never be able to fully understand.
Source: Does Not Like Magic
Cite this Source
Understand and Decipher. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/decipher/understand
Decipher & Understand. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/decipher/understand>.
Understand or Decipher. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/decipher/understand.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "decipher" and "understand" have occurred on timeline