unproductive

adjective

un·​pro·​duc·​tive ˌən-prə-ˈdək-tiv 

-prō-

: not effective in bringing something about : not yielding results, benefits, or profits : not productive

unproductive meetings

unproductive strategies

unproductive workers

Synonyms

• barren
• bony
• boney
• dead
• desolate
• hardscrabble
• impoverished
• infertile
• poor
• stark
• unfertile
• waste

Examples of unproductive in a Sentence

crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive

her attempts to write a novel have been unproductive

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens. —Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025

Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025

Players of his caliber, historically speaking, just don’t tend to have stretches this unproductive and maddening that last for this length of time. —Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025

Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: Attempting to micromanage still evolving technology innovation is highly laden with unintended and unproductive consequences. —Phillip Molnar, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unproductive

• deconstructive
• nondestructive
• nonproductive
• reconstructive
• reproductive
• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive
• instructive