In American English (AE), "quite" is an intensifier, while in British English (BE) it's a mild deintensifier.
This does depend on context. In formal or old-fashioned British English, "quite" is also an intensifier. For example:
"Sir, you quite misunderstand me," said Mrs. Bennet, alarmed.
from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
"Graft" implies corruption in AE but hard work in BE.
I think "graft" also often implies corruption in British English.
In BE 'quite' can also be used sarcastically, becoming a negative intensifier. If you say something's "quite nice" that could mean it really wasn't good at all.
https://g.co/gemini/share/4c0707081d5d Gemini 2.5 Pro understood the gist and provided some examples that are more well known.
In the one-shot, produced only one intriguing miscommunication,
Conversation 3: After the Party
* American: "Man, I was so pissed last night when I realized I left my wallet at the restaurant." (Meaning: Very angry/annoyed.)
* Brit: "Really? You seemed fine when you left! How much did you have to drink to get that pissed?" (Meaning: Very drunk.)
I (speaking American English) had difficulties on a project with another team (speaking British English) when we would agree to "table" something. We we're all rather frustrated before we realized that I meant "set aside to deal with it later" while they meant "get into it now".
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/16285/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-expression-we-can-table-this
As an American who works with some people who speak British English, the language differences are usually not a problem. Most words mean the same thing, and those that don't are usually concrete enough not to cause confusion (ex: lift, flat, chips). The tricky ones, though, are the ones that differ primarily in connotations. For example:
In American English (AE), "quite" is an intensifier, while in British English (BE) it's a mild deintensifier. So "quite good" is "very good" in AE but "somewhat good" in BE. I think "rather" works similarly, though it's less common in AE and I don't have a great sense for it.
"Scheme" has connotations of deviousness in AE, but is neutral in BE. Describing a plans or system as a "scheme" is common in BE and negative in AE.
"Graft" implies corruption in AE but hard work in BE.
These can cause silent misunderstandings where two people have very different ideas about the other's view:
A: "I can't believe how much graft there was in the procurement process!"
B: "Yes, quite impressive. Rather keen on going above and beyond, aren't they?"
A: "And did you see the pension scheme they set up?"
B: "Sounds like they'll be quite well off when they'll leave office."
In this example A leaves thinking B approves of the corruption, while B doesn't realize there was any. It could be a long time, if ever, before they realize they misunderstood each other.
Are there other words people have run into that differ like this?