problematise
Make an issue
Problematise is the British spelling of problematize—to treat something as a problem requiring analysis, or to complicate what seemed straightforward.
Common in academic writing, where scholars problematise assumptions, categories, or received wisdom: The essay problematises the distinction between high and low culture.
The word signals critical examination rather than simple acceptance.
Test of ability
- scrutinizeInspect with close attention
- deconstructAnalyze by breaking down
- questionRequest for information
- interrogateQuestion formally and persistently
unpack · destabilize · complicate · contest · trouble · examine · expose · undermine
Request for information
- examineStudy with attention
- investigateSeek facts systematically
- exploreTravel to discover
- analyzeStudy by breaking down
reconsider · rethink · reassess · interrogate · probe · scrutinize · reflect · contemplate
Formal argument on issues
- argumentReasoned case or dispute
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
- discussionExchange of ideas
- controversyProlonged public disagreement
dialectic · polemic · disagreement · disputation · contestation · scholarly · academic · theoretical
Make more difficult
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- entangleTwist into confusion
- layerSingle thickness of material
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
ambiguity · intricacy · sophistication · convolution · interconnectedness · subtlety · elaborate · thorny
challenge
Test of ability
- scrutinizeInspect with close attention
- deconstructAnalyze by breaking down
- questionRequest for information
interrogate · unpack · destabilize · complicate · contest · trouble · examine · expose · undermine · denaturalize
question
Request for information
- examineStudy with attention
- investigateSeek facts systematically
- exploreTravel to discover
analyze · reconsider · rethink · reassess · interrogate · probe · scrutinize · reflect · contemplate · ponder
debate
Formal argument on issues
- argumentReasoned case or dispute
- contentionAssertion or rivalry
- discussionExchange of ideas
controversy · dialectic · polemic · disagreement · disputation · contestation · scholarly · academic · theoretical · poststructuralist
complicate
Make more difficult
multifaceted · ambiguity · intricacy · sophistication · convolution · interconnectedness · subtlety · elaborate · thorny · knotty
problematiseaccept
Consent to receive
take at face value · take for granted · assume · presuppose · swallow
problematisesimplify
Make less complex
streamline · explain · clarify · straighten out · demystify
problematisenormalise
Make consistent or typical
standardise · legitimise · naturalise · validate · entrench
problematic, problematical, unproblematic, problematize, problematically, nonproblematic, problematised