| 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?" |
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