unproductive

adjective

un·​pro·​duc·​tive ˌən-prə-ˈdək-tiv 

-prō-

: not effective in bringing something about : not yielding results, benefits, or profits : not productive

unproductive meetings

unproductive strategies

unproductive workers

Synonyms of unproductive

• barren
• desolate
• impoverished
• poor
• waste
• bleak

Examples of unproductive in a Sentence

crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive

her attempts to write a novel have been unproductive

Recent Examples on the Web

The most important driver is the unit economics of campus recruitment + making inexperienced, unproductive new workers productive. — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

The new class of legislators will inherit a body marked by a tense and often unproductive last few years, including budgetary delays and accusations of poor communication and transparency. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026

Rather than adding one more habit to a bedtime routine, the therapy targets the feelings and thoughts patients have built up around sleep, including the unproductive behaviors people adopt to cope with insomnia. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2026

Desertification is the severe degradation of fertile drylands into unproductive, desert-like terrain, stripping the soil of its vegetation, nutrients, and agricultural capability. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unproductive

• deconstructive
• nondestructive
• nonproductive
• reconstructive
• reproductive
• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive
• instructive