1
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
her attempts to write a novel have been unproductive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unproductive
On the other hand, Pribula often looked unsure of himself in the pocket, which led to unproductive passing plays.
—
Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, youth unemployment recently hit almost 19%, forcing authorities to keep unproductive firms running to avoid unrest.
—semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
The key lies in understanding the difference between unproductive friction (the logistical hurdles that bog students down) and productive friction (the cognitive struggle that is essential for building real knowledge and skills).
—Dave Tucker, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Pick one seemingly unproductive attention-training activity and practice it consistently.
—Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, youth unemployment recently hit almost 19%, forcing authorities to keep unproductive firms running to avoid unrest.
—semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
The key lies in understanding the difference between unproductive friction (the logistical hurdles that bog students down) and productive friction (the cognitive struggle that is essential for building real knowledge and skills).
—Dave Tucker, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Pick one seemingly unproductive attention-training activity and practice it consistently.
—Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
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Where homes, buildings and fields once stood in the southern city of Rafah, there were now craters and barren wastelands.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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Those who reached Spain were offered a place to rebuild their lives — on a small, barren island.—
Miquel Ros,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Romo was starting to describe how Mahomes was complaining about the attempt being unsuccessful when he was interrupted by the Chiefs running the ball and picking up the first down.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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However, the shooting was unsuccessful and Alex suffered only superficial wounds.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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To find the killer, Sherlock Holmes and Watson will have to brave desolate moors before a family curse dooms the newest heirs.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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With its primary tenant away, the pro stadium here in central Japan was desolate outside.—
Brad Lefton,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This advocacy, however, proved futile.—
Time,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
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False accusations cannot be rebutted, and any attempt to secure compensation or correction through the courts is futile; no open debate is allowed in the domain of thought and art.—
Jonny Diamond,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The United Nations predicts the cost of reconstruction in the impoverished territory is a staggering $70 billion.—
NPR,
NPR,
16 Oct. 2025
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Set within the League of Legends universe, the Netflix series follows sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell), who find themselves on opposite sides of a brewing war between the impoverished undercity of Zaun and the futuristic, wealthy city of Piltover.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Miles are useless for trying to define how enormous our galaxy is.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
12 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement One Battle After Another, Eddington, and The Mastermind all comedically register white men as useless political collaborators.—
Robert Daniels,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Porter has been a lead creator before, but that was on cellar-dwelling Houston Rockets squads that became a breeding ground for poor habits.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Young people want better governance and are fed up with suffering from poor services and economies while their leaders get rich around them and inequality grows.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Twin Cities,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Local laws and supplier audits The OECD has called on Shein to publish further public information about its compliance with France’s anti-waste law (AGEC), which aims to move businesses toward greater circularity.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
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This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unproductive. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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