PROBLEMATIC Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'problematic' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of problematic are doubtful , dubious , and questionable . While all these words mean "not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something," problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain. // whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

Q: When might 'doubtful' be a better fit than 'problematic'?

The words doubtful and problematic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty. // doubtful about whether I said the right thing

Q: When can 'dubious' be used instead of 'problematic'?

The synonyms dubious and problematic are sometimes interchangeable, but dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation. // dubious about the practicality of the scheme

Q: When is it sensible to use 'questionable' instead of 'problematic'?

While the synonyms questionable and problematic are close in meaning, questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded. // a man of questionable honesty

problematic

adjective

ˌprä-blə-ˈma-tik

variants also problematical

Definition of problematic next

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling the problematic situation of somehow having two dates for the same party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in questionable

giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged whether we should even bother finishing the project at this point is problematic

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective problematic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of problematic are doubtful, dubious, and questionable. While all these words mean "not affording assurance of the worth, soundness, or certainty of something," problematic applies especially to things whose existence, meaning, fulfillment, or realization is highly uncertain.

whether the project will ever be finished is problematic

When might doubtful be a better fit than problematic?

The words doubtful and problematic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, doubtful implies little more than a lack of conviction or certainty.

doubtful about whether I said the right thing

When can dubious be used instead of problematic?

The synonyms dubious and problematic are sometimes interchangeable, but dubious stresses suspicion, mistrust, or hesitation.

dubious about the practicality of the scheme

When is it sensible to use questionable instead of problematic?

While the synonyms questionable and problematic are close in meaning, questionable may imply no more than the existence of doubt but usually suggests that the suspicions are well-grounded.

a man of questionable honesty

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of problematic That’s problematic when Ohio State plays Penn State, Indiana and Oregon but the Nittany Lions miss Indiana and Oregon. —

Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 Dec. 2024 So, before adding an extra person to your holiday gift list, be sure to steer clear of these problematic behaviors. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024 The song’s bittersweet melodies and instrumentation convey the lyrics’ sense of loving a problematic person. —

Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Dec. 2024 This is particularly problematic when dealing with unstructured data, as AI may misinterpret or misassign meaning, leading to inaccurate conclusions. —

Michael Dennis, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for problematic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for problematic

Adjective

An at least 200-year-old celebration of French and Mediterranean cuisine, macarons are renowned as the ‘impossible dessert,’ a result of the notoriously involved and difficult baking process.

Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
The manual entry of damage to structures like bridges used to be very expensive and time-consuming, a complex process made even more difficult by the fact that data entry and analysis are performed by both the agency’s own staff and external companies.

Stephanie Glenk, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024