unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: not profitable : producing no gain, good, or result

an unprofitable venture

unprofitableness noun

unprofitably

ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

-ˈpräf-tə-blē

adverb

Synonyms of unprofitable

• unsuccessful
• futile
• useless

Examples of unprofitable in a Sentence

an unprofitable effort to find the information

Recent Examples on the Web

German carrier Lufthansa cut 20,000 short-haul flights through to October, to save 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel and cut unprofitable flights. —Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026

Knowing that past stadium deals had been unprofitable for surrounding communities, the team acknowledged that a standalone venue was unlikely to pay off financially. —J.c. Bradbury, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026

Other airlines, including Lufthansa and KLM, have had to scale back service as jet fuel costs render some routes unprofitable. —CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

Airlines have been cutting services as the increase in fuel prices has made some routes unprofitable. —Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unprofitable

• profitable

Kids Definition

unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl, 

ˈən-

: not profitable

unprofitably

-blē 

adverb