Problem — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved

a question raised for consideration or solution

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/pɹˈɑːbləm/

🇬🇧British English

/pɹˈɒbləm/

🇮🇳Indian English

/pɹˈɒbləm/

2 syllables Say it as /pɹˈɑːbləm/.

Examples

she and her husband are having problems
it is always a job to contact him
urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

trouble job

Parts of Speech

noun	a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved “she and her husband are having problems”
noun	a question raised for consideration or solution “our homework consisted of ten problems to solve”
noun	a source of difficulty “one trouble after another delayed the job”

Word Forms

problematical	adjective	making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
problematic	adjective	making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
troublous	adjective	full of trouble
trouble	verb	to cause inconvenience or discomfort to

Around the World

Europe

🇫🇷French

problème

un état de difficulté qui doit être résolu

🇪🇸Spanish

problema

un estado de dificultad que necesita ser resuelto

🇮🇹Italian

problema

uno stato di difficoltà da risolvere

🇳🇱Dutch

probleem

een probleemsituatie die moet worden opgelost

🇵🇹Portuguese

problema

um estado de dificuldade que precisa ser resolvido

🇷🇺Russian

проблема

состояние трудности, которое необходимо разрешить

India

🇮🇳Hindi

संकट

कठिनाई की स्थिति जिसे हल करने की आवश्यकता है

🇧🇩Bengali

সমস্যা

অসুবিধার একটি অবস্থা যা সমাধান করা দরকার

🇮🇳Tamil

பிரச்சனை

தீர்க்கப்பட வேண்டிய ஒரு கடினமான நிலை

🇮🇳Telugu

సమస్య

పరిష్కరించాల్సిన క్లిష్ట స్థితి

🇮🇳Marathi

समस्या

अडचणीची स्थिती ज्याचे निराकरण करणे आवश्यक आहे

🇮🇳Gujarati

સમસ્યા

મુશ્કેલીની સ્થિતિ જેને ઉકેલવાની જરૂર છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ

ಪರಿಹರಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕಷ್ಟದ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പ്രശ്നം

പരിഹരിക്കപ്പെടേണ്ട ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുള്ള ഒരു അവസ്ഥ

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸਮੱਸਿਆ

ਮੁਸ਼ਕਲ ਦੀ ਸਥਿਤੀ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਹੱਲ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਜ਼ਰੂਰਤ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

مسئلہ

مشکل کی حالت جسے حل کرنے کی ضرورت ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

问题

需要解决的困难状态

🇯🇵Japanese

問題

解決する必要がある困難な状態

🇰🇷Korean

문제

해결이 필요한 어려움의 상태

🇻🇳Vietnamese

vấn đề

một tình trạng khó khăn cần được giải quyết

🇹🇭Thai

ปัญหา

สถานะของความยากลำบากที่ต้องแก้ไข

🇮🇩Indonesian

masalah

keadaan kesulitan yang perlu diselesaikan

🇵🇭Filipino

problema

isang estado ng kahirapan na kailangang lutasin

🇲🇾Malay

masalah

keadaan kesukaran yang perlu diselesaikan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

مشكلة

حالة صعبة تحتاج إلى حل

🇮🇷Persian

مشکل

وضعیت دشواری که باید حل شود

🇹🇷Turkish

sorun

çözülmesi gereken bir zorluk durumu

🇮🇱Hebrew

בְּעָיָה

מצב של קושי שצריך לפתור

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'problem'?

The primary meaning of 'problem' is 'a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'problem' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'problem' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'problem' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'problem' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'problem' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'problem' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'problem' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'problem' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'problem' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'problem' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted