NONPRODUCTIVE Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

nonproductive

adjective

Definition of nonproductive

as in worthless

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nonproductive North Dakota adopted a bill last year requiring a legislative council to study the feasibility of using nonproductive wells to generate geothermal power. — Maria Gallucci, Wired News, 16 May 2026 Returning nonproductive properties to the tax rolls, creating jobs and boosting the quality of life are only some of the benefits of redeveloping troubled properties. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026 Pruning also thins nonproductive stems, allowing light to reach the interior of the tree and ripen the fruit. — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Dec. 2025 The key is refusing to engage in circular or baiting conversations, instead setting boundaries and exiting nonproductive conversations. — Angela Haupt, Time, 30 Oct. 2025 Course of trade in the oil industry often leaves the public on the hook for nonproductive well cleanup costs, including capping. — Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonproductive

Adjective

The referee’s visual countdown may prove worthless if the player trotting off has his back to the official, which will invariably be the case.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
And since Jace’s death, she’s treated Baela as nothing more than a defective surveillance drone — a worthless piece of tech that never spots Vhagar.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of worthless

Adjective

Cramer said Establishment Labs remains unprofitable eight years after going public, and its most recent quarterly loss was larger than Wall Street expected.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
The company's strong gross margins on API sales indicate previous losses stemmed from investing in future model training, not from unprofitable products.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of unprofitable

Adjective

Analysts have warned that the structural remedies Bonta has in mind might be deal-breakers for Paramount, making any settlement talks ultimately unproductive.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
So many people who influence public opinion in the United States do so in a damaging and unproductive way because the problem of creeping authoritarianism doesn’t affect them personally.

— Sarah Batcha, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of unproductive

Adjective

Police said Reyes did not provide any form of identification, and attempts to identify him were unsuccessful.

— Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 23 Aug. 2026
Attempts by The Associated Press to determine who their defense attorneys were to request comment were unsuccessful.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsuccessful

Adjective

Garcia and Vargas Bustamante both agreed that not all of the health advice available on social media is useless, predatory or incorrect.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
If an agent queries a legacy database to decide whether to trigger an outreach sequence or prioritize an account, a flat list of static attributes is fundamentally useless to its reasoning engine.

— Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of useless

Adjective

Primus could easily have been a blip, one of many abortive major label risks in a decade when the industry was swimming in cash.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
As children, Vi and Jinx lose their parents in an abortive revolution in Zaun, and years later find themselves on opposite sides of an unfolding power struggle between the two city-states.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 22 May 2026

Definition of abortive

Adjective

On Saturday, Durant reaffirmed his stance that the question of his and other superstars’ effort was an unavailing narrative to explore every February.

— Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The position advanced by the states is legally unavailing as a matter of longstanding and well-established law.

— WSJ, WSJ, 25 July 2018

Definition of unavailing

Browse Nearby Words

nonproblems

nonproductive

nonprofessional

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“Nonproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonproductive. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of nonproductive

adjective

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