problems
noun
Form of problem , plural of problem.
Simple meaning
A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prahbluhmzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹɑbləmz
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
plural of problem
A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with.
plural of problem
A question to be answered, schoolwork exercise.
plural of problem
A source of difficulty
plural of problem
A state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
“She and her husband are having problems.”
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, problems 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 problems
- “She and her husband are having problems.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The area of cognitive psychology that studies the processes involved in solving problems.
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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.