unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: not profitable : producing no gain, good, or result

an unprofitable venture

unprofitableness noun

unprofitably

ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl

adverb

Synonyms

• abortive
• barren
• bootless
• empty
• fruitless
• futile
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• inefficacious
• otiose
• profitless
• unavailing
• unproductive
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain

Examples of unprofitable in a Sentence

an unprofitable effort to find the information

Recent Examples on the Web

The airline said its network changes aimed at culling unprofitable flights are paying off and that demand into next year appears solid. —Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2024

Plus, some fintech firms target lower value customer accounts, and a monthly bank fee may make such customers unprofitable. —Gene A. Grant Ii, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

Shed slow-growth businesses and reinvest in the rest, including its Universal Studios theme parks and (still unprofitable) Peacock streaming service. —Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2024

Studies show 60 percent of pre-season purchases are unprofitable due to decisions made without real-time data. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl,

ˈən-

: not profitable

unprofitably

-blē 

adverb