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Thinking and knowing

Synonyms for problematic

Synonyms for problematic: debatable and tough. Every one of them is a hand audited pair from the Synonym Stack word bank, shown below in the sense it fits, in a real sentence, and beside the words that only look close.

2 synonyms · Tier 3, Ridgeline · 2 senses · adjective · 1 reason line · a wrong tile in 1 puzzle

The 2 synonyms for problematic

  • debatableadjective, in the sense "open to doubt or debate"
  • toughadjective, in the sense "making great mental demands"

Each of these belongs to a different sense of problematic, which is why the meaning beside them changes down the list.

Sense 1 of 2adjectiveTier 3, RidgelineThinking and knowing

open to doubt or debate

Whether the plan will ever work is problematic.

The sentence the game shows, and the only thing that settles which meaning is meant.

The true synonym

debatable

Same sentence, swapped: Whether the plan will ever work is debatable.

Close but different

These three are the other tiles for this sense. Each is a real word, and none of them can stand where problematic stands in the sentence above.

  • elusive
  • intricate
  • ambiguous
Sense 2 of 2adjectiveTier 3, RidgelineQualities

making great mental demands

A problematic situation at home.

This is the whole of what a player sees before choosing. The meaning has to come out of it.

The true synonym

tough

Same sentence, swapped: A tough situation at home.

Close but different

The game shows these three beside the answer. Each is a real word with a real meaning and none of them fits the slot problematic is in above, which is the point the reason line makes.

  • debatable
  • dubious
  • ambiguous

Where problematic turns up in the game

problematic is the word under test in two puzzles, spread across Tier 3, Ridgeline. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in one other puzzle, where the answer is a different word entirely.

The puzzle where problematic is the trap

  • precariousadjective, Tier 3, Ridgeline. The answer there is unstable, in the sense "affording no ease or reassurance", with problematic sitting one tile away.

Play problematic

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so problematic reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

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A reason under every answer, not just a right answer

Synonym Stack plays from this exact bank. problematic carries 1 written reason line, and the game shows them the moment a round ends, whichever tile you tapped.

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