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 human brain is highly susceptible to often unproductive mind-wandering, and modern technology has only made the problem worse. —Harvard Business Review, 7 Jan. 2026

Gerstner slashed costs and sold off unproductive assets, including real estate and IBM’s collection of fine art. —Patrick Oster, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025

Unless societies can chart a path between recognizing human freedom and acknowledging the peril of depopulation, the conversation about low fertility will be, at best, unproductive and, at worst, actively dangerous for individual rights. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

Other experts have concluded that, for most people, multitasking is an unproductive myth. —Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025

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