When we call a person misunderstood, we mean other people do not really see who they are, and that is why they are not liked — or are judged more harshly than they deserve. The unfairness sits in the picture other people have, not necessarily in what the person did. Quiet children, artists, and anyone who does not fit the group get this word a lot: “a misunderstood genius.” Though actually, people also use it as a soft excuse. Someone who has hurt others may say “I’m just misunderstood,” and listeners may not believe it. Separate from all that, misunderstood is also the ordinary past tense of misunderstand: “I misunderstood the question.” This entry is the describing-a-person use.