problematic
/ˌpɹɑ.bləˈmæt.ɪk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.87 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
adj
Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
adj
Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
noun
A problem or difficulty in a particular field of study.
Example Sentences
- "And the most problematic thing of all is that it is impossible for me even to know and tell you their names, unless one of them happens to be a playwright."
- "However, estimating what consumers will pay in the future is problematic."
- "The station is blessed with a cafe and staff accommodation, as it's an important crew changeover point, although this can be problematic when services are late."
- "The strangeness of hiring undocumented Mexican women as domestics, many of whom were no older than fifteen, seemed strange to me. It was this strangeness that raised the topic of domestic service as a question and made problematic what had previously been taken for granted."
- "a problematic analysis"
- "it portends a problematic future for the movement"
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French problématique, from Late Latin problematicus, from Ancient Greek προβληματικός (problēmatikós), from πρόβλημα (próblēma, “outjutting, barrier, problem”), from προβάλλω (probállō, “I throw, place before”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + βάλλω (bállō, “I throw, place”). By surface analysis, problem + -atic.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: problématique, problematicus, προβληματικός
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌpɹɑ.bləˈmæt.ɪk/
- British English: /ˌpɹɒb.ləˈmæt.ɪk/