Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

productive

American  
[pruh-duhk-tiv] / prəˈdʌk tɪv /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of productive

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

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.

Recent AI breakthroughs have made it possible for software engineers to be as much as 10 times as productive as they have been in the past.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a social media post, the New York City mayor called the sit-down productive.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We want farm businesses that are productive, profitable, and resilient," she told the conference.

From BBC

It is a struggle to think of a less productive way of spending an hour or two of your life.

From MarketWatch

“But equally as important is taking advantage of this moment to help child cares go forward in a more productive and more strengthened way together as a team.”

From Los Angeles Times