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

• 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

Yet even in this willfully unproductive use of leisure time, work hovers overhead like a ghost. —Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025

Allow that the firing of a career bureaucrat may have been unfair and unproductive. —George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

In the aftermath of their unproductive talk at the villa, Rainbeau has finally let go of any pretense of niceness toward her. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025

In the wake of this failure, Getz tried to express his utmost faith in Robert, who has been unreliable and unproductive for the last two seasons. —Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 1 Aug. 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