as in unsuccessful
not producing the desired result
harsh disciplinary measures that prove to be counterproductive
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Recent Examples of counterproductive
Still, as California real estate broker Doug Shepherd previously shared with BHG, sometimes waiting too long for the market to improve—with lower rates and more affordable pricing—can be counterproductive.
—
Joseph Erbentraut, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Apr. 2026
The leaks also led to major changes at Meta and in the tech industry, which began to weed out research that could be viewed as counterproductive for the companies.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2026
These structured habits—doing the same thing in the same place at the same time of day—were more likely to lead to long-term success than attempting to squelch counterproductive impulses in the moment.
—Francine Russo, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2026
These requirements can become counterproductive when people who get SNAP benefits have to miss work, for example, to provide proof of their employment track record because their caseworkers have lost their paperwork.
—Claudia Strauss, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterproductive
Joseph Erbentraut, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Apr. 2026
The leaks also led to major changes at Meta and in the tech industry, which began to weed out research that could be viewed as counterproductive for the companies.
—Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2026
These structured habits—doing the same thing in the same place at the same time of day—were more likely to lead to long-term success than attempting to squelch counterproductive impulses in the moment.
—Francine Russo, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2026
These requirements can become counterproductive when people who get SNAP benefits have to miss work, for example, to provide proof of their employment track record because their caseworkers have lost their paperwork.
—Claudia Strauss, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for counterproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterproductive
Adjective
-
The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The child was taken to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Azle, where additional lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, the sheriff's office said.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The middle innings are when things tend to get inefficient for Peralta.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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The idea for Revise emerged from Sapek’s observations of how documents are handled in professional settings, where workflows can involve multiple versions, inefficient copying and pasting between chat apps and word processors, and limited visibility into revision history.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The official scorer at Citi Field decided to give the win to Williams instead of Brazobán, deeming the latter’s outing ineffective because of the tying grand slam.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
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And indeed recent reports suggest that some employees are sabotaging their companies’ AI rollouts by misusing AI tools, generating poor work to make AI appear ineffective, or outright refusing to employ the technology.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Counterproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterproductive. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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