unproductive

un·pro·duc·tive | \ ˌən-prə-ˈdək-tiv

How to pronounce unproductive (audio)

, -prō- \

Definition of unproductive

: not effective in bringing something about : not yielding results, benefits, or profits : not productive unproductive meetings unproductive strategies unproductive workers

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about unproductive

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of unproductive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Prior to aggravating his hamstring, Green was unproductive versus the Ravens. — Tyler Dragon, The Enquirer, "Bengals WR A.J. Green admits to being frustrated, but is confident his time will come," 16 Oct. 2020 Burdensome and unproductive stress tests on community banks were eased. — John F. Cogan And John B. Taylor, WSJ, "Trump’s Economic Dream Come True," 6 Oct. 2020 JPMorgan’s analysis also determined that Mondays and Fridays were particularly unproductive. — Whizy Kim, refinery29.com, "WFH: JPMorgan CEO Says Young Employees Working From Home Slack Off," 16 Sep. 2020 European reconstruction funds will probably arrive too late—over the past week, governance questions have put the timing further at risk—and won’t fix Spain’s overreliance on relatively unproductive industries like tourism. — Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "Spain Becomes Europe’s Weak Link," 6 Oct. 2020 That is why official arenas handling conflict — courts, legislatures, sports — have strict etiquette rules so that both sides are supposed to restrain from unproductive antagonisms. — Washington Post, "Miss Manners: Correcting behavior without wasting your time," 5 Oct. 2020 However, while many lamented online that Tuesday night’s debate was largely unproductive and stress-inducing as both Trump and Biden spoke over each other, several moments managed to permeate the chaos to become full-fledged memes. — NBC News, "These are the internet's favorite memes from the first presidential debate of 2020," 30 Sep. 2020 His months inside, though, haven’t been totally unproductive. — New York Times, "They Had Big Plans for the Lockdown. This Is What Happened.," 25 Sep. 2020 The only problem – other than that name-calling is juvenile and unproductive – is that Trump’s new nickname for Biden isn’t actually an insult. — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, "Why Trump’s New Nickname For Biden Could Backfire," 8 Sep. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about unproductive

Dictionary Entries near unproductive

unproductive consumption

Statistics for unproductive

Last Updated

21 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Unproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unproductive. Accessed 25 Oct. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

emissary

Listen to the pronunciation of emissary

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Namesakes Word Quiz

Which of the following is a fruit named after a Moroccan seaport?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.