problematic

Often prob·lem·at·i·cal

[prob-luh-mat-ik]

adjective

1. of the nature of a problem; doubtful; uncertain; questionable.

   We've discussed the problematic benefits of the treatment.

   Synonyms: ambiguous, dubious, unsettled, indeterminate, unsure

2. involving or presenting a problem that is difficult to deal with or solve.

   She faces a problematic decision.

3. tending or likely to elicit objections or disapproval; offensive: We've all had to deal with problematic relatives during the holidays.

   My ex-boyfriend's political opinions were often embarrassingly problematic.

   We've all had to deal with problematic relatives during the holidays.

problematic

/ ˌprɒbləˈmætɪk /

adjective

1. having the nature or appearance of a problem; questionable

2. obsolete,  logic (of a proposition) asserting that a property may or may not hold Compare apodeictic assertoric

Other Word Forms

• problematically adverb
• nonproblematic adjective
• nonproblematical adjective
• nonproblematically adverb
• quasi-problematic adjective
• unproblematic adjective
• unproblematical adjective
• unproblematically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of problematic¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Late Latin problēmaticus, from Greek problēmatikós, equivalent to problēmat- (stem of próblēma ) problem + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Social media companies have previously described the laws as "vague", "problematic" and "rushed".

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Now such an appointment would be way more problematic.

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We have entered perhaps one of the most problematic policy windows of this decade.

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Frederick Hess, director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, called it “profoundly problematic” and said the government’s requests are “ungrounded in law.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The absence of updated inflation data would have proven even more problematic than the missing September jobs report, which the BLS couldn’t release on Oct.

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Related Words

• ambiguous 
• dubious 
• moot 
• precarious 
• puzzling 
• questionable 
• tricky 
• uncertain 
• unsettled