| problem | | |
| n. (state) | 1. job, problem | a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved.; "she and her husband are having problems"; "it is always a job to contact him"; "urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog" |
| ~ difficulty | a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome.; "grappling with financial difficulties" |
| ~ race problem | a social and political problem caused by conflict between races occupying the same or adjacent regions. |
| ~ balance-of-payments problem | an economic problem caused by payments for imports being greater than receipts for exports. |
| n. (communication) | 2. problem | a question raised for consideration or solution.; "our homework consisted of ten problems to solve" |
| ~ question, head | the subject matter at issue.; "the question of disease merits serious discussion"; "under the head of minor Roman poets" |
| ~ mystifier, puzzle, puzzler, teaser | a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution.; "he loved to solve chessmate puzzles"; "that's a real puzzler" |
| ~ case | a problem requiring investigation.; "Perry Mason solved the case of the missing heir" |
| ~ homework problem | a problem that students are assigned to do outside of class. |
| ~ brain-teaser, conundrum, riddle, enigma | a difficult problem. |
| ~ stumper, toughie, poser, sticker | a particularly difficult or baffling question or problem. |
| ~ gordian knot | any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms. |
| ~ koan | a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning. |
| ~ pons asinorum | a problem that severely tests the ability of an inexperienced person. |
| ~ rebus | a puzzle where you decode a message consisting of pictures representing syllables and words. |
| n. (cognition) | 3. problem, trouble | a source of difficulty.; "one trouble after another delayed the job"; "what's the problem?" |
| ~ difficulty | a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result.; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent" |
| ~ pressure point | where problems or difficulties are likely to occur.; "a key pressure point in the controversy was the building permit" |
| ~ can of worms | a source of unpredictable trouble and complexity. |
| ~ deep water | serious trouble. |
| ~ growing pains | problems that arise in enlarging an enterprise (especially in the early stages). |
| ~ hydra | trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality.; "we may be facing a hydra that defies any easy solution" |
| ~ matter | a problem.; "is anything the matter?" |
| distress | | |
| n. (feeling) | 1. distress, hurt, suffering | psychological suffering.; "the death of his wife caused him great distress" |
| ~ painfulness, pain | emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid.; "the pain of loneliness" |
| ~ anguish, torture, torment | extreme mental distress. |
| ~ self-torment, self-torture | self-imposed distress. |
| ~ tsoris | (Yiddish) trouble and suffering. |
| ~ wound | a figurative injury (to your feelings or pride).; "he feared that mentioning it might reopen the wound"; "deep in her breast lives the silent wound"; "The right reader of a good poem can tell the moment it strikes him that he has taken an immortal wound--that he will never get over it" |
| n. (state) | 2. distress | a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need).; "a ship in distress"; "she was the classic maiden in distress" |
| ~ anguish | extreme distress of body or mind. |
| ~ adversity, hard knocks, hardship | a state of misfortune or affliction.; "debt-ridden farmers struggling with adversity"; "a life of hardship" |
| ~ pressure | an oppressive condition of physical or mental or social or economic distress. |
| ~ throe | hard or painful trouble or struggle.; "a country in the throes of economic collapse" |
| n. (state) | 3. distress | extreme physical pain.; "the patient appeared to be in distress" |
| ~ hurting, pain | a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder.; "the patient developed severe pain and distension" |
| n. (act) | 4. distraint, distress | the seizure and holding of property as security for payment of a debt or satisfaction of a claim.; "Originally distress was a landlord's remedy against a tenant for unpaid rents or property damage but now the landlord is given a landlord's lien" |
| ~ seizure | the taking possession of something by legal process. |
| v. (social) | 5. distress, straiten | bring into difficulties or distress, especially financial hardship. |
| ~ discommode, disoblige, incommode, inconvenience, put out, trouble, bother | to cause inconvenience or discomfort to.; "Sorry to trouble you, but..." |
| v. (emotion) | 6. distress | cause mental pain to.; "The news of her child's illness distressed the mother" |
| ~ disturb, trouble, upset | move deeply.; "This book upset me"; "A troubling thought" |
| ~ besiege | cause to feel distressed or worried.; "She was besieged by so many problems that she got discouraged" |
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