understandably

understandably — adverb

1. used to say that a feeling, reaction, or decision is normal and reasonable when

1.副詞C1
釋義

used to say that a feeling, reaction, or decision is normal and reasonable when you think about the situation; what you would expect to happen

例句

Understandably, Léa was reluctant to lend her car to someone she barely knew.

sentence-initial position for evaluative adverb

The residents were understandably nervous when a wildfire broke out near their homes.

mid-sentence: be + understandably + adjective

同義詞
  • naturally

    overlaps in meaning but is more common in spoken English and less formal

  • predictably

    emphasises that the outcome was expected in advance, not just reasonable after the fact

  • not surprisingly

    very similar; slightly more informal and more common in conversation

  • understandable

    adjective form; used in 'it is understandable that…' instead of the adverb

反義詞
  • surprisingly

    opposite meaning — indicates the reaction goes against what you would expect

  • inexplicably

    opposite meaning — no reason can be found for the reaction

文法句型

Understandably, + [clause]

[Subject] + be + understandably + [adjective]

[Clause], understandably

用法筆記

Frequently appears at the start of a sentence (Understandably, ...) or after the verb 'be' or verbs of emotion (feel, seem, look). In this sense, understandably does NOT describe how an action is performed — it comments on the whole situation. Only this sense can appear before a comma at the start of a sentence. Distinguish from sense 2 (CLEARLY EXPLAINED), where understandably follows a verb of communication and describes clarity of expression.

常見錯誤

❌He spoke understandably' (intending to mean 'it makes sense that he spoke').
✅Understandably, he spoke about the incident at the meeting.
💡When expressing that something is reasonable, use the sentence-adverb position, not after an action verb.
❌Understandably, she wrote the report' (intending to mean 'clearly').
✅She wrote the report clearly and understandably.
💡For describing clarity of expression, place understandably after the verb, not at sentence start with a comma.

2. in a way that is easy to understand; with clear structure or expression, so that

2.副詞C1
釋義

in a way that is easy to understand; with clear structure or expression, so that the meaning is not confusing

例句

The teacher explained the grammar points clearly and understandably, so even the beginners could follow.

manner adverb: verb + clearly and understandably

Mizuki wrote the instructions in a way that was simple and understandably organised.

同義詞
  • clearly

    more common and less formal; can also mean 'obviously', which understandably does not

  • intelligibly

    more formal and less frequent; focuses on being able to be understood by the ear

  • coherently

    emphasises logical connections between ideas, not just clarity

反義詞

文法句型

[Verb] + (clearly and) understandably

[Verb] + [object] + understandably

用法筆記

Always appears after the verb it modifies or after the object of the verb. In this sense, understandably cannot appear at the start of a sentence with a comma. It is often paired with 'clearly' (clearly and understandably). This sense is much less common than sense 1 (NOT SURPRISING) and is somewhat formal.

常見錯誤

❌Understandably, the manual was written' (intending to praise clarity).
✅The manual was written clearly and understandably.
💡The manner sense follows the verb, not a sentence-initial comma position.