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
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.
Buy-now-pay-later products can be “a nonproductive way to build credit,” Patel said, “especially if you can qualify for a credit card.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
The physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, wrote in a letter released on Friday 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
Meanwhile, the Mariners offense was sluggish and nonproductive against Royals starter Kris Bubic.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2021
That gives the 116th Congress — already predicted to be relatively nonproductive — only a few months to act, if that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2019
Much of our public land has been nonproductive solely because of the lack of moisture.
From Community Civics and Rural Life by Arthur William Dunn
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
