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 ).

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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

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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

Explanation

If you're productive, that means you do a lot — you create or produce large amounts of something. A productive worker makes more widgets than the shirker who keeps sneaking out to gossip and drink coffee. The word productive often describes a person's capability to do a lot of work, but is can refer to anything that produces a lot. The land in your area might be the most productive in the state, meaning crops grow very well there. Productive can be used more broadly to describe something that produces a positive result. For example, you might have a productive conversation with your mom about your college plans, or you might make a productive investment.

Example Sentences

"The beaver release reflects a broader commitment by the estate owner to manage the land differently, creating space for nature to recover alongside productive land use", Restore said.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

What’s the smartest way to use artificial intelligence to lower your costs and be more productive — and is the tech’s promise living up to the hype?

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Defining the line between productive uses of capital and mere speculation is a never-ending battle.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Jeff Korzenik, chief economist at Fifth Third Bank, said he found the CBO’s estimates somewhat pessimistic, and that a more productive workforce could lead to stronger growth over time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Those facts of reproductive biology vexed early farmers, because, as soon as they had located a productive mutant plant, its offspring would cross-breed with other plant individuals and thereby lose their inherited advantage.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

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