XY problems

A form of XY problem — A communication problem where a person seeking help (for example, from a computing helpdesk) provides misleadingly incomplete information about the source of the problem and thus receives inaccurate or unhelpful suggestions about how to fix it.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of XY problem
Cite this entry
APA

XY problems. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/XY%20problems

MLA

“XY problems.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/XY%20problems. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “XY problems,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/XY%20problems.

Source: XY problems on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.