1
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
her attempts to write a novel have been unproductive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unproductive
For instance, Kyle Kuzma, who’s having an uncharacteristically unproductive season by his standards, may need time to resuscitate his trade value.
—
Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Swiping on dating apps can be exhausting and unproductive.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Jan. 2025
The left column refers to behavior that tends to be unhappy, overwhelmed and unproductive (and backward looking).
—Mark Cunningham, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
In summary, remote teams are more prone to preventable but unproductive conflicts.
—Carine Harb, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unproductive 
Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Swiping on dating apps can be exhausting and unproductive.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 21 Jan. 2025
The left column refers to behavior that tends to be unhappy, overwhelmed and unproductive (and backward looking).
—Mark Cunningham, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
In summary, remote teams are more prone to preventable but unproductive conflicts.
—Carine Harb, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
-
Lost in the woods, Irving dreams of a barren forest and the MDR cubicles — with Burt (Christopher Walken) behind a desk.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2025
-
The barren structure, half wrapped in glass, is particularly noticeable at night, when strings of bright construction lights illuminate every floor.—
Eric Lach,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and Walnut Grove Fire District personnel searched that first night from the air and aboard boats equipped with sonar and powerful magnets to detect the submerged vehicle but were unsuccessful.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacramento Bee,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Similar motions to the bills—known as HB 1400 and HB 0039—have previously been filed but were unsuccessful, meaning the outcome of the measures is unclear, per WGN9.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Although Mars is known for being a dry and desolate desert, its landscape hasn’t always been so hostile.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
29 Jan. 2025
-
At first glance, the entire landscape looked grim and desolate.—
M. R. O’Connor,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Telling people to evacuate with no plan — or even an actual route — seems pretty futile.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
-
Loading your audio article SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci has been around long enough to know that trying to predict what’s going to happen at the NHL trade deadline – particularly five weeks ahead of time – can be a futile endeavor.—
Curtis Pashelka,
The Mercury News,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Numerous aid workers in northern Thailand described widespread panic and confusion following the sudden suspension of aid, especially among those whose work provides life-saving services to some of the world’s most vulnerable and impoverished people on both sides of the border.—
Ivan Watson,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the sight of an unelected billionaire dismantling an agency that was set up to help the impoverished is already undermining faith in U.S. democracy.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Power losses also left area water pumps useless for hours during the 2017 Thomas fire.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The holding midfielder Antonio Blanco tried to step into Yamal but a quick flick of his left foot meant that Blanco’s tackle was useless.—
Pol Ballús,
The Athletic,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Cosgrove, a rookie revelation in 2023, is looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season.—
Dennis Lin,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
But shortly after its release, AT&T dropped the device’s price down to just $0.99 in what was an unmistakable sign of poor sales – and perhaps an indication that consumers didn’t want more Facebook on their phone other than in its app.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2022
-
Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Aug. 2022
Thesaurus Entries Near unproductive
Cite this Entry
“Unproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unproductive. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share