productivity

noun

pro·duc·tiv·i·ty | \ ˌprō-dək-ˈti-və-tē

, ˌprä-, prə-ˌdək-\

Definition of productivity

1 : the quality or state of being productive

2 : the rate per unit area or per unit volume at which biomass consumable as food by other organisms is made by producers

Examples of productivity in a Sentence

The country has low agricultural productivity. The company is looking for ways to improve worker productivity. There has been an increase in productivity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, a slow, selective reintroduction of devices and apps, each one allowed back in the name of productivity and gratifying leisure. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "A Computer Scientist's Guide To Dumping the Needless Tech In Your Life," 25 Feb. 2019 Filing grievances is covered, as are productivity and safety discussions. — Joe Davidson, Washington Post, "OPM guidance pushes quick, forceful action on Trump’s orders to weaken unions, due process," 9 July 2018 Another step is to recognize that the glorification of competition, productivity and being busy in astrophysics culture is problematic. — Smithsonian, "Andean Solstice Celebrations Capture the Wondrous Churn of Spacetime," 22 June 2018 Building habits that aim to improve productivity and focus isn’t easy with ADHD. — Gia Miller, SELF, "Hiring a Coach for My ADHD Transformed My Life and Productivity," 27 Mar. 2019 Aging populations are consuming less and productivity is growing more slowly, the argument goes, leading to a sustained period of slack demand. — Joseph C. Sternberg, WSJ, "Why Central Bankers Missed the Crisis," 16 Nov. 2018 Growth cannot be achieved through productivity gains alone. — Phillip Molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Will a slowdown in refugees hurt San Diego County’s economy?," 29 June 2018 But many private analysts are more pessimistic, noting that underlying factors such as the retirement of the baby boomers and weak productivity gains will continue to depress long-term growth prospects. — Martin Crutsinger, chicagotribune.com, "Business economists worry about possible recession in 2020," 4 June 2018 But many private analysts are more pessimistic, noting that underlying factors such as the retirement of the baby boomers and weak productivity gains will continue to depress long-term growth prospects. — Martin Crutsinger, The Seattle Times, "Business economists worry about possible recession in 2020," 3 June 2018

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about productivity

Dictionary Entries near productivity

Statistics for productivity

Last Updated

18 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for productivity

The first known use of productivity was in 1808

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for productivity

productivity

noun

Financial Definition of productivity

What It Is

Productivity refers to the measure of output (e.g. products) from a production process per unit of input (e.g. labor and capital).

How It Works

Productivity is usually expressed as a ratio of output to inputs. It can be expressed as units of a product (e.g. cars) per worker-hour (total number of hours worked by all workers on that car). Given the cost of the worker-hour, productivity can also measure the efficiency of a company.

These measures are quantitative and relatively easy to measure. However, other factors of productivity, such as creativity, innovation, teamwork, and even quality are qualitative and more difficult to measure

Why It Matters

In most business models, profitability is a function of productivity, price, and volume. In other words, a company's success is measured by how efficiently it uses its resources to produce its product, the price it can sell its products, and how many products it can actually sell. When comparing companies within a sector, for example, it is very important for investors to understand the relative productivity comparisons between companies producing the same products.

Source: Investing Answers

productivity

noun