problem child
8
4.0
- noun
- /ˈprɒbləm tʃaɪld/
- Informal
:
niño problemático
- The teacher described Jake as a problem child because he often disrupted the class.
- problem child behaviors
And they may write you off as the problem child and as a name caller.
- And they may write you off as the problem child and as a name caller.
- But you know, the he got the easy label of like, oh, problem child and all that in the NFL.
- The first one to come out punching and name calling in therapy is often the one who is again labeled the problem child.
- Wrestling, academics, sports that like I was focused and Jake, he is the problem child.
- So I'm, I'm glad that the problem child is like is, is becoming loved.
Examples
-
My parents' problem child.
Fiction book (1997) -
Seriously, my class is filled with problem children.
-
People told me you were a problem child.
-
So, the question before us is what are we gonna do with our little problem child?
-
Everyone thinks of them as problem children, but what they are is lonely.
Fiction book (1997) -
You know, you all act like I'm the problem child.
-
Crystal is temporarily a problem child.
-
In so doing, Jeremy learns that he has more than a "problem child" on his hands.
Academic text (2014) -
Lorenzo: We seem to have attracted several families with problem children.
Fiction book (1997) -
He has always been a problem child coddled by his father... ...unsuitable for the throne.
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A situation that causes trouble and needs a solution
1
7.2
A child who behaves badly and causes a lot of trouble
1
9.6
A person who causes trouble and is hard to deal with
Antonyms
How Troublesome
20
6.1
- Informal
8
4.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a child who causes trouble' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'problem' (a condition causing difficulty) with 'child' (a minor); the attributive noun construction signals that the child is the source of problems. This compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Problem child started as a simple description of a child who kept causing trouble at home or school; the picture is of a problem (a source of trouble) coming from a child. That's why people now use problem child for anything, like a project or product, that regularly 'causes trouble' or 'needs special attention'.