unfruitful
Americanadjective
-
not providing satisfaction; unprofitable.
unfruitful efforts.
- Synonyms:
- unrewarding, vain, unproductive, fruitless
-
not producing offspring; sterile.
an unfruitful marriage.
-
not yielding good crops; infertile.
unfruitful acres.
-
not bearing fruit; fruitless; barren.
an unfruitful tree.
adjective
-
barren, unproductive, or unprofitable
-
failing to produce or develop into fruit
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unfruitful
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at un- 1, fruitful
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.
A defence lawyer asked him about the Mazan years, when Gisèle was suffering from memory loss and her husband was dutifully accompanying her to unfruitful medical appointments.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024
A long and unfruitful detour into basketry unfolds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
Egypt has been negotiating to replace a detained Ukrainian wheat shipment, two people with knowledge of the matter said, after talks to release the vessel carrying it proved unfruitful.
From Reuters ● Sep. 7, 2022
Biden spoke by phone with China’s President Xi Jinping last week amid growing frustration on the American side that high-level engagement between the two leaders’ top advisers has been largely unfruitful.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2021
Men were notched and comfortable in the present, hard and unfruitful as it was, but only as a doorstep into a fantastic future.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
