unproductive
Britishadjective
-
(often foll by of) not productive of (anything)
-
not producing goods and services with exchange value
Other Word Forms
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.
It warns: “There is currently no treatment for citrus greening. Once a tree is infected, it will eventually become unproductive and may even die.”
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
By focusing on the future and helping her do the same, you can avoid sliding into an unproductive and unpleasant dynamic.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026
In a 2024 interview, Amodei said he had a different vision for how AI safety should be handled, and “it’s incredibly unproductive to try and argue with someone else’s vision,” so he left.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
Managers were ordered to stop spending weeks preparing elaborate slideshows for unproductive talkfests.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
Miranda whined to the girls about how Gibbler dragged her around in the back of his Packard whenever he went to check out a strike or stare down an unproductive tool pusher.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
