unprofitable

[ uhn-prof-i-tuh-buh l ]

/ ʌnˈprɒf ɪ tə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unprofitable ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being without profit; not showing or turning a profit: a series of unprofitable ventures.

pointless or futile: an unprofitable three years in a routine job.

Nearby words

unprison, unprizable, unprocessed, unproductive, unprofessional, unprofitable, unpromising, unprompted, unpronounceable, unpropitious, unprotected

Origin of unprofitable

1275–1325; Middle English. See un-¹, profitable

Related formsun·prof·it·a·ble·ness, un·prof·it·a·bil·i·ty, nounun·prof·it·a·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unprofitable

But it was a shadow of its former self: sleepy, unprofitable, and not particularly confident about its complicated past.
Pancakes and Pickaninnies: The Saga of ‘Sambo’s,’ The ‘Racist’ Restaurant Chain America Once Loved|Andrew Romano|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The proportion of banks that were unprofitable fell to 8.4 percent from 10.6 percent a year earlier,” the FDIC reported.
Banks Are Thriving Despite Regulations Thanks to Economic Growth|Daniel Gross|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As a result, many stores are unprofitable, borderline profitable, or experiencing declining revenue.
Why Is Barnes and Noble Getting Out of the Bookstore Business?|Megan McArdle|February 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And physical bookstores are — as even Klipper noted — not unprofitable.
Why Is Barnes and Noble Getting Out of the Bookstore Business?|Megan McArdle|February 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

An unprofitable industry will be forced to cuts routes and flights, leading to fewer consumer choices, frustration and fewer jobs.
Those Awful Airline Fees From United, American, Delta, and the Rest Add Up|William J. McGee|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The last was the "wicked and slothful," because unprofitable, servant.
Knowledge is Power:|Charles Knight
No machine yet devised could perform this tedious and unprofitable task.
The Age of Invention|Holland Thompson
Now, Lizzie, such people are unprofitable servants in the sight of God.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 89, March, 1865|Various
"That sense of things is the flat, stale, unprofitable stuff we hear about," he added.
The Opened Shutters|Clara Louise Burnham
It was nothing to do with Michael Fane: it was solely his own determination to put an end to this unprofitable dalliance.
Guy and Pauline|Compton Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for unprofitable

unprofitable

/ (ʌnˈprɒfɪtəbəl) /

adjective

not making a profit

not fruitful or beneficial

Derived Formsunprofitability or unprofitableness, noununprofitably, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for unprofitable

unprofitable

adj.

early 14c., from un- (1) "not" + profitable. Related: Unprofitably.

unprofitable

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of unprofitable

Examples from the Web for unprofitable

British Dictionary definitions for unprofitable

unprofitable

adjective

Word Origin and History for unprofitable

unprofitable