productive

adjective

pro·​duc·​tive prə-ˈdək-tiv 

prō-

1

: having the quality or power of producing especially in abundance

productive fishing waters

2

: effective in bringing about

investigating committees have been productive of much good

—R. K. Carr

3

a

: yielding results, benefits, or profits

b

: yielding or devoted to the satisfaction of wants or the creation of utilities

4

: continuing to be used in the formation of new words or constructions

un- is a productive prefix

5

: raising mucus or sputum (as from the bronchi)

a productive cough

productively adverb

productiveness noun

Synonyms

• constructive
• formative

Examples of productive in a Sentence

I had a very productive day.

I am most productive in the morning.

Some staff members are more productive than others.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their productive later years are remarkable considering that Hollywood hasn’t always been kind to aging auteurs — Billy Wilder, for instance, spent his final two decades struggling to get one more movie produced. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

Gal Costa – Cantar Brazilian diva and tropicália princess Gal Costa (1945-2022) lived a long, productive life—but the ‘70s was her most enchanting decade. —Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 16 Apr. 2024

There are significant limitations in coverage, but the second-team All-American is a productive tackler with a nose for the ball on special teams. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024

The lyrics and situation — a diverse crowd joining Parks to evoke the spirit of a runaway slave — felt like the kind of productive provocation Parks’s work insists on. —Imani Perry Janina Edwards Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

But members leaving the impromptu huddle didn't describe it as productive. —Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

Leeks agrees that incomplete viruses may be productive parts of the viral community. —Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024

In other words, the increase in productive capacity helped to counteract inflationary pressures that would arise from more people living in the U.S. —Wendy Edelberg and Tara Watson, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

In that context, Jackson-Davis is having one of the most productive Warriors rookie seasons in a decade. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing productive

• hyper-productive

Kids Definition

productive

adjective

pro·​duc·​tive prə-ˈdək-tiv 

1

: having the power to produce plentifully

productive soil

productive fishing waters

2

: producing something

efforts productive of much good

3

: giving results

a productive meeting

productively adverb

productiveness noun

Medical Definition

productive

adjective

pro·​duc·​tive prə-ˈdək-tiv, prō- 

: raising mucus or sputum (as from the bronchi)

a productive cough