WordGarden.ioproblematical
A1Pronunciation
UK
- /prˌɒbəlmˈætɪkəl/
US
- /ˌprɑbləˈmætɪkəl/
Meanings
Adjective
full of problems or difficult to deal with
questionable, uncertain, or not clearly settled
Beyond the definition
Something that's problematical causes concern, raises doubts, or seems hard to deal with. It can describe a plan, idea, result, or situation that may not work well or that needs closer thought. Think of a plan that sounds fine at first but starts to look uncertain when you look at the details.
The word is now less common than problematic and often sounds older or more formal. In most modern English, people would choose problematic, but problematical still appears in careful writing and older texts. A historian, for example, might call a theory "problematical" if the evidence is weak or the argument does not fully hold together.
The word problematical describes something that is doubtful, uncertain, or difficult in some way. It can refer to something that may cause trouble, something that does not seem fully convincing, or something whose success is not clear. A decision may be problematical because it creates new risks. An explanation may be problematical because it leaves important questions unanswered.
Imagine a large scientific project with limited funding and unclear results. It would be fair to call the project problematical because there are real reasons to doubt how well it will go. Or think of an argument built on weak evidence. That argument is problematical not because it is mysterious, but because it is not fully reliable and invites criticism.
The word carries a formal, slightly old-fashioned tone. You are much less likely to hear it in everyday conversation than in academic writing, legal writing, or historical texts. In those settings, it often points to something that is not settled, not fully sound, or likely to create difficulty. It can describe practical problems, but it can also describe ideas, claims, and theories that are open to doubt.
In modern usage, problematic is the usual form and means almost the same thing. Problematical mostly survives as a variant with an older feel. Because of that, when you see it, the writer may be aiming for a formal tone or may simply be using a style that preserves older wording.
So, if something seems doubtful, hard to support, or likely to cause trouble, it may be described as problematical.
Examples
- 1
Formal planning
The plan sounds simple, but the budget is still problematical.
- Usage
problematical is formal; in everyday speech, problematic is more common
- 2
Infrastructure
Whether the old bridge can be repaired is problematical.
- 3
Business travel
The new rules made travel problematical for small business owners.
- Patternmake something problematical for someone
create practical difficulties for them
- 4
Assumptions
His argument depends on a problematical assumption about human behavior.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Evidence
The evidence is too limited, so any firm conclusion would be problematical.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- problematical assumption
- highly problematical
- proved problematical
Word family
- problem
- problematically
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- problematicaladjective