problematic

C1 · Advanced Academic

adj. containing ideas that are unfair or offensive to certain groups of people.

adj. presenting social, moral, or ethical issues that require critical examination. Frequently used in academic and social justice contexts to identify bias.

“Many people find the jokes in that old movie to be problematic today.”

“Scholars have argued that the author's portrayal of colonial history is deeply problematic due to its erasure of indigenous perspectives.”

C1 · Advanced Formal

adj. not certain to happen or not definitely true.

adj. open to doubt or debate; not settled or certain. In logic, it refers to a proposition that is possible but not necessarily true.

“Whether the new law will actually reduce crime remains problematic.”

“The evidence provided by the witness was considered problematic by the defence, as it contradicted several established facts of the case.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Academic · Formal

n. a group of related problems or questions in a specific area of study.

n. a set of problems or a particular area of difficulty within a field of inquiry. Often used in sociology or philosophy to describe a framework of issues.

“The professor explained the social problematic of urban poverty.”

“The research paper attempts to address the complex problematic of sustainable development in rapidly industrialising nations.”