unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: not profitable : producing no gain, good, or result

an unprofitable venture

unprofitableness noun

unprofitably

ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

-ˈpräf-tə-blē

adverb

Synonyms of unprofitable

• unsuccessful
• futile
• useless

Examples of unprofitable in a Sentence

an unprofitable effort to find the information

Recent Examples on the Web

Seventy percent of routes lose money, and around 58 percent of its 18,000 post offices are also unprofitable. — Tom Sanders, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026

Nationwide, air medical services are filling the gaps left behind as rural hospitals close, convert to outpatient-only rural emergency hospitals, or stop offering unprofitable services like labor and delivery. — Elaine Appleton-Grant, NPR, 8 Nov. 2026

The unit remains unprofitable, but its operating margin was roughly half as bad as a year ago. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Companies which produce dangerous or unreliable products quickly become unpopular and unprofitable. — Max Harden, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unprofitable

• profitable

Kids Definition

unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl, 

ˈən-

: not profitable

unprofitably

-blē 

adverb