His uncontrollable anger is very counterproductive to his attempt at saving his marriage.
harsh disciplinary measures that prove to be counterproductive
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'counterproductive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
1959
feckless, hamstrung, ineffective, ineffectual, inefficacious, inefficient, inexpedient;
effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient, expedient, operant, ultraefficient;
availing, beneficial, helpful, productive, profitable, successful, useful, worthwhile;
abortive, bootless, fruitless, futile, nonproductive, pointless, profitless, unavailing, unproductive, unprofitable, unsuccessful, useless, worthless;
: not helpful : making the thing you want to happen less likely to happen
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for counterproductive Spanish Central: Translation of counterproductive Nglish: Translation of counterproductive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of counterproductive for Arabic speakers
What made you want to look up counterproductive? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
The Eponym Quiz
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
