I. |präblə̇|mad.]ik, ]at], ]ēk adjective
or prob·lem·at·i·cal ]ə̇kəl, ]ēk-
Etymology: problematic from French problématique, from Late Latin problematicus, from Greek problēmatikos, from problēmat-, problēma problem + -ikos -ic; problematical from Middle French problematique + English -al
1.
a.
(1) : constituting or presenting a problem : difficult to solve or to come to a decision about or to deal with : perplexing , puzzling
a problematic situation
(2) : so full of difficulty as to make only tentative and uncertain solutions or decisions possible
have arrived at a problematic impasse
b. : unclear and unsettled : being by no means definite : dubious
the future remains problematic
c. : open to question or debate : questionable
whether we should do it or not is problematic
2. logic : that enunciates or supports what may be but is not necessarily true
a problematic proposition
problematic judgments concerning the existence of unicorns and zebras
Synonyms: see doubtful
II. ˌpräblə̇ˈmad.ik noun
( -s )
Etymology: problematic , adjective
: something that is problematic : a problematic aspect or concern
problematics of womanhood, of men and women together — Stephen Koch