productive

[pruh-duhk-tiv]

adjective

1. having the power of producing; generative; creative.

   a productive effort.

2. producing readily or abundantly; fertile.

   a productive vineyard.

   Synonyms: fecund, fecund
   Antonyms: sterile, sterile

3. causing; bringing about (usually followed byof ).

   conditions productive of crime and sin.

4. Economics.,  producing or tending to produce goods and services having exchange value.

5. Grammar.,  (of derivational affixes or patterns) readily used in forming new words, as the suffix -ness.

6. (in language learning) of or relating to the language skills of speaking and writing (receptive ).

productive

/ prəˈdʌktɪv /

adjective

1. producing or having the power to produce; fertile

2. yielding favourable or effective results

3. economics

   1. producing or capable of producing goods and services that have monetary or exchange value

      productive assets

   2. of or relating to such production

      the productive processes of an industry

4. resulting in

   productive of good results

5. denoting an affix or combining form used to produce new words

Other Word Forms

• productively adverb
• productiveness noun
• productivity noun
• antiproductive adjective
• antiproductively adverb
• semiproductive adjective
• semiproductively adverb
• unproductive adjective
• unproductively adverb
• unproductiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of productive¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from the Medieval Latin word productīvus; product, -ive

Synonym Study

Productive, fertile, fruitful, prolific apply to the generative aspect of something. Productive refers to a generative source of continuing activity: productive soil; a productive influence. Fertile applies to that in which seeds, literal or figurative, take root: fertile soil; a fertile imagination. Fruitful refers to that which has already produced and is capable of further production: fruitful soil, discovery, theory. Prolific means highly productive: a prolific farm, writer.

Example Sentences

A joint US-Ukrainian statement, issued after the talks wrapped up, spoke of "highly productive" discussions, saying any future agreement must deliver a "sustainable and just peace".

Read more on BBC

A labor force that is aging and shrinking is less productive, and less productive countries are poorer.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

OK, he would have wanted to be better, but still a reasonably productive year spread between the PGA and DP World tours - the two hardest circuits on the planet.

Read more on BBC

Wheat ranks as the world's second most productive cereal and accounts for the largest share of nitrogen fertilizer use, about 18% of the global total.

Read more on Science Daily

In the long run, there are also hopes that AI will boost growth by making workers more productive, but the impact has been small so far.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• advantageous 
• beneficial 
• constructive 
• dynamic 
• effective 
• energetic 
• fertile 
• gratifying 
• profitable 
• prolific 
• rewarding 
• useful 
• valuable 
• vigorous 
• worthwhile