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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.

“This restructuring, including more diversified trade and a more integrated internal market, will support some recovery in our productive capacity,” Macklem said.

From The Wall Street Journal

It feels good to be doing something productive with someone in easy, comfortable silence.

From Literature

With more workers, an economy can grow more rapidly without overheating, or the same number of workers can become more productive thanks to new technology.

From The Wall Street Journal

The findings suggest that the early cosmos was far more turbulent and productive when it came to forming massive black holes than previously assumed.

From Science Daily

Beijing’s “AI Plus” blueprint mandates a nationwide integration of AI to catalyze “new quality productive forces,” targeting a 70% penetration rate across priority sectors by 2027.

From MarketWatch