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

• creative
• constructive

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

Today, an open-minded, AI-native young person who is comfortable with these tools can accomplish so much more, so much quicker, and help older people be more productive. —Paul Klein, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

Snow was still productive for the Giants in the 2000s, with a .276/.372/.420 slash line, a .337 postseason average and the last of his six Gold Gloves. —Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 8 July 2025

Moving forward into the playoffs, Haliburton was not quite as productive. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

According to Salesforce’s latest Slack Workforce Index, a survey of 5,000 global desk workers found that daily AI users are 64% more productive and 81% more satisfied with their jobs than non-users. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 7 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing productive

• hyper-productive

Rhymes for productive

• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive
• instructive
• obstructive
• reductive
• seductive
• counterproductive
• photoconductive

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