productivity

noun

pro·​duc·​tiv·​i·​ty ˌprō-dək-ˈti-və-tē How to pronounce productivity (audio)
ˌprä-,
prə-ˌdək-
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 Is the aforementioned perfectionism interfering with your productivity? Ana Marie Cox, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023 While there is ample evidence that his ideas about presenteeism at work are de-coupled from productivity, his restructuring of X has rightly focused on laying off employees who are not adding value and replacing them with creators. Grace Lordan, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2023 Adobe says that Generative Fill expands expressivity and productivity and enhances the confidence of creators with the use of natural language and concepts to generate digital content in seconds. Shelby Putnam Tupper, PCMAG, 13 Sep. 2023 Anger may actually impair cognitive processing, zapping worker motivation and productivity. Kells McPhillips, Fortune Well, 11 Sep. 2023 Many productivity keyboards can connect to multiple devices, either using multiple Bluetooth channels or a combination of connection types. Chris Coke, Popular Mechanics, 8 Sep. 2023 The battle lines are drawn between the idea of the necessity for in-person work for productivity and efficiency and work-life balance, coupled with a question of the legitimacy of these concerns. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2023 Sam Hiner, 20, started college during the covid-19 pandemic and said that social media hurt his productivity and ability to socialize on-campus. Cristiano Lima, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023 The new pushes for in-person work mark a major shift as executives directly acknowledge the challenges with the model - in some cases saying productivity has declined, and citing fewer opportunities for spontaneous collaboration, mentorship and connection-building. Taylor Telford, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'productivity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of productivity was in 1808

Dictionary Entries Near productivity

Cite this Entry

“Productivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/productivity. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

productivity

noun
pro·​duc·​tiv·​i·​ty (ˌ)prō-ˌdək-ˈtiv-ət-ē How to pronounce productivity (audio)
ˌpräd-(ˌ)ək-,
prə-ˌdək-
1
: the quality or state of being productive
2
: the rate of production at which food for other living things is made by living things that are producers
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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