unfruitful

[ uhn-froot-fuhl ]

adjective

1. not providing satisfaction; unprofitable:

   unfruitful efforts.

   Synonyms: unrewarding, unproductive, vain, fruitless

2. not producing offspring; sterile:

   an unfruitful marriage.

3. not yielding good crops; infertile:

   unfruitful acres.

4. not bearing fruit; fruitless; barren:

   an unfruitful tree.

unfruitful

/ ʌnˈfruːtfʊl /

adjective

1. barren, unproductive, or unprofitable
2. failing to produce or develop into fruit

Derived Forms

• unˈfruitfully, adverb
• unˈfruitfulness, noun

Other Words From

• un·fruitful·ly adverb
• un·fruitful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfruitful¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; un- ¹, fruitful

Example Sentences

Yet an age in which great questions were handled by great men could not be either an unfruitful or an uninteresting one.

From Project Gutenberg

St. Paul says, "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful."

From Project Gutenberg

It is astonishing to see with what facility the vine thrives in a soil apparently so unfruitful.

From Project Gutenberg

The process of the fiery judgment consuming the unfruitful vine tree had already begun.

From Project Gutenberg

The Parable of the unfruitful vine shows that the nation was good for nothing, and burning awaited the city.

From Project Gutenberg