unproductive

adjective

un·​pro·​duc·​tive ˌən-prə-ˈdək-tiv 

-prō-

: not effective in bringing something about : not yielding results, benefits, or profits : not productive

unproductive meetings

unproductive strategies

unproductive workers

Synonyms of unproductive

• barren
• desolate
• impoverished
• poor
• waste
• bleak

Examples of unproductive in a Sentence

crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive

her attempts to write a novel have been unproductive

Recent Examples on the Web

More than 70 percent of the increase is attributable to the reduction in point-of-sale demonstration roles at select unproductive doors in its department store and freestanding store channels. —Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 9 June 2026

Commission officials reportedly flew to San Francisco last Thursday to press Anthropic executives directly, following weeks of unproductive negotiations. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 2 June 2026

Some 43% of employees report busy-but-unproductive days often or very often, but the burden is unevenly distributed. —Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Oddly enough, Lewis — bedeviled by a series of injuries that included two season-ending knee surgeries since even before his MLB clock started ticking — has been healthy and unproductive. —John Shipley, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unproductive

• deconstructive
• nondestructive
• nonproductive
• reconstructive
• reproductive
• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive
• instructive