adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌpɹɒb.ləˈmæt.ɪk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˌpɹɑ.bləˈmæt.ɪk/
CMU ARPABET:P R AA2 B L AH0 M AE1 T IH0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
Difficult to overcome, solve, or decide.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
Not settled, uncertain, of uncertain outcome; debatable, questionable, open to doubt.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
a problematic analysis
it portends a problematic future for the movement
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Posing a problem; having or suffering from problem(s):
Contributing (especially if subtly) to discrimination (such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or ageism).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
If you ever get married, which seems to be extremely problematic
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: debatable, problematical
Antonyms: none provided
History
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.
Across languages
Translations
60 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
խնդրահարույց
(xndraharuycʻ)
— posing a problem
Bulgarian:
проблематичен
(problematičen)
— posing a problem
Catalan:
problemàtic
— posing a problem
Czech:
problematický
— posing a problem
Danish:
problematisk
— posing a problem
Dutch:
problematisch
— posing a problem
Esperanto:
problema
— posing a problem
Finnish:
ongelmallinen
— posing a problem
Finnish:
problemaattinen
— posing a problem
French:
problématique
— posing a problem
Georgian:
პრობლემატური
(ṗroblemaṭuri)
— posing a problem
German:
problematisch
— posing a problem
Greek:
προβληματικός
(provlimatikós)
— posing a problem
Hebrew:
בעייתי
(ba'ayatí)
— posing a problem
Hungarian:
bajos
— posing a problem
Hungarian:
problematikus
— posing a problem
Italian:
problematico
— posing a problem
Latvian:
problemātisks
— posing a problem
Māori:
whakararu
— posing a problem
Norman:
problièmatique
— posing a problem
Polish:
problematyczny
— posing a problem
Romanian:
problematic
— posing a problem
Russian:
проблемати́чный
(problematíčnyj)
— posing a problem
