nonproductive

adjective

non·pro·duc·tive | \ˌnän-prə-ˈdək-tiv

Definition of nonproductive

: not productive: such as

a : failing to produce or yield : unproductive a nonproductive oil well

b : not directly concerned with production the nonproductive labor of clerks and inspectors

c of a cough : dry sense 3a

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Tomatoes may grow through the summer, and a few, like cherry tomatoes, set a few fruits but most are nonproductive. — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Most tomatoes won't grow in summer in Florida," 7 July 2018 Buffett said cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are nonproductive assets similar to gold. — Josh Funk, BostonGlobe.com, "Warren Buffet is still big on stocks — not on bitcoin," 8 May 2018 Several participants had prepared a statement on what should be done with these nonproductive members of society. — Nan Randall, The Atlantic, "'Charlottesville': A Government-Commissioned Story About Nuclear War," 25 Jan. 2018 Remove the nonproductive rhizomes in the center, and carefully break apart the clump. — Karen Dardick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Irises are flowers worth repeating," 19 Oct. 2017 State media in Russia have carried reports in recent days that Moscow is considering downgrading its diplomatic representation to NATO to protest against what Russian officials see as nonproductive dialogue with Brussels. — Julian E. Barnes, WSJ, "NATO, Moscow Squabble Over Russian War Games Near Alliance Borders," 13 July 2017 The economy has stalled because too much wealth is being generated in nonproductive activity, hoarded to preserve for the rich all the things government no longer provides. — Gideon Lewis-kraus, New York Times, "Could Hillary Clinton Become the Champion of the 99 Percent?," 23 July 2016 Anything that was a prescription for more concern, like civil-defense exercise, was felt to be nonproductive … — Evan Bush, The Seattle Times, "Is Seattle a target for a North Korean nuclear attack? Well, not quite yet, insiders say," 26 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonproductive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.