problematic

See also: problemàtic

English

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpɹɒbləˈmætɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˌpɹɑbləˈmætɪk/

Adjective

problematic (comparative more problematic, superlative most problematic)

1. Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
   1. Difficult to overcome, solve, or decide.
      • 2010, The Future of Energy Use:

        However, estimating what consumers will pay in the future is problematic.

   2. Not settled, uncertain, of uncertain outcome; debatable, questionable, open to doubt.
      • 1992, Mary Romero, “Intersection of Biography and History: My Intellectual Journey”, in Maid in the U.S.A., Routledge, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 1:

        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

   3. Contributing (sometimes especially if implicitly or subtly) to systemic discrimination (such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or ageism).
      • 2015 April 10, Paige Tutt, Apple’s new diverse emoji are even more problematic than before: Racialized emoji insert race into texts and tweets where it never would have arisen before
2. (logic, dated) Only affirming the possibility that a predicate be actualised.

Synonyms

• (posing a problem): difficult, troublesome, complicated, complex, involved
• (open to debate): doubtful, dubious, questionable, controversial, uncertain

Antonyms

• unproblematic

Derived terms

• unproblematic

Related terms

• problem

Translations

posing a problem

• Bulgarian: проблематичен (bg) (problematičen)
• Catalan: problemàtic
• Czech: problematický (cs)
• Danish: problematisk
• Dutch: problematisch (nl)
• Finnish: ongelmallinen (fi), problemaattinen (fi)
• French: problématique (fr)
• German: problematisch (de)
• Greek: προβληματικός (el) (provlimatikós)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: בעייתי (ba'ayatí)
• Hungarian: bajos (hu), problematikus (hu)
• Italian: problematico (it)
• Latvian: problemātisks
• Maori: whakararu
• Norman: problièmatique
• Polish: problematyczny (pl)
• Romanian: problematic (ro)
• Russian: проблемати́чный (ru) (problematíčnyj)

uncertain, debatable, questionable

• Bulgarian: несигурен (bg) (nesiguren), съмнителен (bg) (sǎmnitelen)
• Catalan: problemàtic, dubtós (ca), incert (ca)
• Dutch: problematisch (nl), twijfelachtig (nl)
• Finnish: ongelmallinen (fi), problemaattinen (fi), epävarma (fi)
• French: problématique (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: problembehaftet, problematisch (de)
• Hungarian: problematikus (hu)
• Italian: ambiguo (it), questionabile
• Romanian: problematic (ro)
• Russian: проблемати́чный (ru) (problematíčnyj)

contributing to systemic discrimination

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: problemaattinen (fi), ongelmallinen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: please add this translation if you can
• German: heikel (de), fatal (de), haarig (de) (informal), problematisch (de) (unspecifically)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} problematisch (nl)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} problematic (ro)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} problemàtičan (sh)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} problematika
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} problemático (es)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} sorunsal (tr), ^{(please verify)} problematik (tr)

Noun

problematic (plural problematics)

1. (chiefly in the plural) A problem or difficulty in a particular field of study.

Translations

problem in a particular field of study

• Bulgarian: проблематика f (problematika)
• Danish: problematik c
• Finnish: problematiikka (fi), ongelmakenttä
• French: problématique (fr) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Problematik (de) f
• Polish: problematyka (pl) f
• Russian: проблематика (ru) f (problematika)
• Spanish: problemática (es) f

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French problématique, Late Latin problematicus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pro.bleˈma.tik/

Adjective

problematic m or n (feminine singular problematică, masculine plural problematici, feminine and neuter plural problematice)

1. problematic

Declension

Declension of problematic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	problematic		problematică	problematici	problematice
	definite	problematicul		problematica	problematicii	problematicele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	problematic		problematice	problematici	problematice
	definite	problematicului		problematicei	problematicilor	problematicelor

Related terms

• problemă