nonproductive
Americanadjective
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not productive; unproductive.
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not worthwhile or beneficial; not leading to practical or beneficial results.
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not producing goods directly, as employees in charge of personnel or inspectors.
adjective
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(of workers) not directly responsible for producing goods
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having disappointing results; unproductive
Other Word Forms
- nonproductively adverb
- nonproductiveness noun
- nonproductivity noun
Etymology
Origin of nonproductive
First recorded in 1920–25; non- + productive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He wrote that Mr. Biden was still experiencing a runny nose and fatigue, and that he had an “occasional nonproductive, now ‘loose’ cough.”
From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2022
A viral infection may be productive, resulting in new virions, or nonproductive, which means that the virus remains inside the cell without producing new virions.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Meanwhile, the Mariners offense was sluggish and nonproductive against Royals starter Kris Bubic.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2021
While these and other studies show the tantalizing promise of boredom, scholars don’t yet know how bored people, in moments of boredom, choose productive vs. nonproductive paths.
From Washington Post • Mar. 27, 2020
However, many of these old-timers have not seen the attentions of a professional plant breeder for many years and throw a fair percentage of bizarre, misshapen, nonproductive plants.
From Gardening Without Irrigation: or without much, anyway by Solomon, Steve
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
