counterproductive

[ koun-ter-pruh-duhk-tiv ]
See synonyms for counterproductive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. thwarting the achievement of an intended goal; tending to defeat one's purpose: Living on credit while trying to save money is counterproductive.

Origin of counterproductive

1
First recorded in 1960–65; counter- + productive

Other words from counterproductive

  • coun·ter·pro·duc·tive·ly, adverb

Words Nearby counterproductive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use counterproductive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for counterproductive

counterproductive

/ (ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv) /


adjective
  1. tending to hinder or act against the achievement of an aim

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012