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problem

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prahbluhm

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹɑbləm

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with.

  2. Difficulty in accepting or understanding or refusal to accept or understand.

  3. A question to be answered, schoolwork exercise.

  4. A source of difficulty

  5. A puzzling circumstance.

  6. A state of difficulty that needs to be resolved

    “She and her husband are having problems.”

adjective

  1. of a person or an animal

    Difficult to train or guide; unruly.

  2. Causing a problem; problematic; troublesome.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with.

Used this way, problem is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Critical or judgemental
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use problem

  • “She and her husband are having problems.”noun
  • “Our homework consisted of ten problems to solve.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

problem solvingmajor problemserious problemreal problemdifficult problemmain problemsocial problemparticular problem

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • problem-oriented languagenounCompound term

    A language whose statements resemble terminology of the user.

  • problem solvernounCompound term

    A thinker who focuses on the problem as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge to achieve a solution.

  • problem solvingnounCompound term

    The area of cognitive psychology that studies the processes involved in solving problems.

  • homework problemnounCompound term

    A problem that students are assigned to do outside of class.

  • balance-of-payments problemnounCompound term

    An economic problem caused by payments for imports being greater than receipts for exports.

  • race problemnounCompound term

    A social and political problem caused by conflict between races occupying the same or adjacent regions.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: difficulty that has to be resolved

trouble

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.