nonproductive

Definition of nonproductivenext

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 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 Buoyed by the early promise of its Dravet therapeutic, the company developed a second drug candidate, STK-002, that similarly targets splicing to turn nonproductive gene transcripts into constructive ones. Elie Dolgin, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2023 Remove all twiggy, dead or nonproductive growth. oregonlive, 8 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonproductive
Adjective
  • Yet for the people creating it—all of us—this data has become functionally worthless.
    Alice Xiang, Time, 6 May 2026
  • If the option expires worthless, the seller keeps the premium as income.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 4 May 2026
Adjective
  • Shih recalled a conversation with a memory maker about three years ago, when the industry was unprofitable and the executive was waiting for the right part of the cycle to break ground on a new fab.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 May 2026
  • Medical costs remain high, but Aetna and other insurers appear to be becoming better equipped to manage the trend, as many cut membership and benefits for patients and exit unprofitable markets.
    Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • Never committing to any one character’s point of view, Balagov and Stepnova’s script freewheels in meandering but mostly disarming fashion between these strands, with an errant storytelling rhythm aptly reflective of lives that are at once static and in perpetually unproductive motion.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026
  • Anyone who suppresses grief, fear, or doubt because they were taught that those feelings are unproductive.
    Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Adjective
  • Investigators said that an initial PIT maneuver was unsuccessful, but a second one caused the truck to crash into another vehicle and roll over onto its side – an incident that was caught on home surveillance video.
    CBS News, CBS News, 14 May 2026
  • Jeremy Brandon Johnson, 53, of Eveleth, was pronounced dead at the scene after lifesaving measures were unsuccessful.
    Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • Some portion of eligible people are probably discouraged from applying at all, believing the lottery system to be rigged or pointless.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 May 2026
  • The smoothest operator-founder relationship in the world is also the most pointless one because nobody is challenging anybody.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • But at a certain point in adulthood, prayer began to feel useless to me.
    Terry Ward, CNN Money, 4 May 2026
  • From certain side sections, the rear screen was nearly useless.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The move fizzled and Herbst stayed put, but the abortive removal attempt has lingered like a dark cloud ever since.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2026
  • Six of the album’s tracks began in abortive sessions in the 2010s with Patti Smith Group bassist Tony Shanahan.
    Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nonproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonproductive. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on nonproductive

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster