unfruitful

American  

[uhn-froot-fuhl] / ʌnˈfrut fəl /

adjective

1. not providing satisfaction; unprofitable.

   unfruitful efforts.

   Synonyms:

   unrewarding, vain, unproductive, 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.

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unfruitful British  

/ ʌnˈfruːtfʊl /

adjective

1. barren, unproductive, or unprofitable

2. failing to produce or develop into fruit

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Other Word Forms

• unfruitfully adverb
• unfruitfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of unfruitful

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

Example Sentences

But the meeting proved unfruitful, with the Syrians not providing any proof-of-life information and making demands that U.S. officials deemed unreasonable.

From Seattle Times • May 18, 2024

A long and unfruitful detour into basketry unfolds.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2023

Peace talks in Saudi Arabia have been unfruitful as efforts to secure a ceasefire have failed, according to Reuters.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 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

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