uneconomic

adjective

un·eco·nom·ic | \ ˌən-ˌe-kə-ˈnä-mik

How to pronounce uneconomic (audio)

, -ˌē-kə- \

variants: or uneconomical \ ˌən-ˌe-kə-ˈnä-mi-kəl

How to pronounce uneconomic (audio)

, -ˌē-kə- \

Definition of uneconomic

: not economically practicable uneconomic transportation routes also : costly, wasteful an uneconomic nuclear technology

Examples of uneconomic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The advent of the shale revolution, which converted large resources from uneconomic to economic and moved them to the proved reserves category is clear in recent years; data, but even before that, revisions have nearly always been net positive. — Michael Lynch, Forbes, "Exxon’s Massive, Earth-Shattering Reserve Decline Is A Non-Event," 25 Feb. 2021 There is even a risk that some gas reserves become uneconomic to produce, particularly in the U.S., Russia and the Middle East. — Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, "Gas Is Cleaner Than Oil, But Still Has a Transition Problem," 24 Dec. 2020 Vistra’s Illinois and Ohio plants were uneconomic due to low gas prices, costly environmental rules and regional nuclear and coal subsidies that benefited the company’s competitors, Cohn told Bloomberg. — Paul O'donnell, Dallas News, "Power generator Vistra pumps $850 million into renewables push in Texas," 29 Sep. 2020 But closing uneconomic reactors can lead to overall reductions in carbon pollution if a nuclear plant’s operating costs are instead invested into efficiency and solar and wind, the report claims. — Abby Smith, Washington Examiner, "Daily on Energy, presented by National Clean Energy Week: Number of nuclear reactors at 30-year low — what it means," 24 Sep. 2020 Of the fields producing the remaining 9 million barrels per day, a significant portion is uneconomic at between $10 and $15. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, "Buccaneers of the basin: The fall of fracking—and the future of oil," 30 Apr. 2020 Canadian oil at a record low and some North Sea fields are becoming uneconomic. — Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, "Oil surges 24% to best day ever, as Trump hints he’ll get involved in standoff," 19 Mar. 2020 Plus there was the danger of small company stocks becoming uneconomic for some firms to cover. — Washington Post, "Brexit Won’t Save London’s Equity Analysts," 18 Nov. 2019 Gold ore can be viable at concentrations as low as 0.0001%, while copper becomes uneconomic below 0.5%. — Matthew Ross, The Conversation, "Mining powers modern life, but can leave scarred lands and polluted waters behind," 3 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

3 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Uneconomic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uneconomic. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for uneconomic

uneconomic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of uneconomic

: not making a profit

See the full definition for uneconomic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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