1
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unproductive
Michael Penix The Falcons’ selection of Penix put the draft on tilt in 2024, but his play at the end of the season — replacing an immobile, unproductive Cousins as starter — showed the upside Atlanta was chasing with their surprise selection at No. 8 overall.
—
Jake Ciely, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Freeman stole second base to get into scoring position, but Andy Pages and Alex Call struck out, extending the Dodgers’ unproductive night to 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Aug. 2025
Yet even in this willfully unproductive use of leisure time, work hovers overhead like a ghost.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
In the aftermath of their unproductive talk at the villa, Rainbeau has finally let go of any pretense of niceness toward her.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Jake Ciely, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Freeman stole second base to get into scoring position, but Andy Pages and Alex Call struck out, extending the Dodgers’ unproductive night to 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 19 Aug. 2025
Yet even in this willfully unproductive use of leisure time, work hovers overhead like a ghost.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
In the aftermath of their unproductive talk at the villa, Rainbeau has finally let go of any pretense of niceness toward her.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
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The team wasn’t able to completely rule out that TRAPPIST-1e is a barren rock like its inner siblings, however, partly because of interference from its hyperactive star.—
Jonathan O'Callaghan,
Scientific American,
8 Sep. 2025
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The local Rite Aid was getting ready to shut down, with barren shelves and 75% off all items, while commerce elsewhere in the town of less than 3,000 people wasn’t exactly bustling.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While Hadden-Paton was unsuccessful in keeping his dapper suit, his costar, Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham, confessed to Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Live!—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reached out for comment but was unsuccessful.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The lock screen on the Mac remains a desolate place, relative to the same area in both iOS and iPadOS—this is still a no-notifications, no-widgets zone that exists only to keep your Mac locked.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Sep. 2025
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While the rest of Burning Man celebrated, Kruglov lay prostrate on the ground at a faraway campsite in a comparatively desolate section of Black Rock City, his throat slashed, as a puddle of blood congealed around his lifeless body.—
Denver Nicks,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, resistance is futile.—
Mia Sosa,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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If anything, Shock and Awe mostly reminds you how futile living in the madness of a Fake News world can be.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The walk is presided over by its creator, a mysterious authoritarian figure known as the Major (Mark Hamill) who extolls the sadistic contest as a boon for the spirits of the impoverished American people.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Probably the one that’s best known is the one about how Philomelus, a young, impoverished farmer and herdsman, struggled to push his plow through his fields.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Digital fingerprinting collates an array of data from your phone — your IP address, device model and OS, time zone, setup and anything else if can get — to create a unique identifier in aggregate, even if each individual data snippet us useless on its own.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Never mind that large language models have so far proven useless at 95% of the companies that have made their workforces try to use them, researchers from MIT recently found.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cutting carbs entirely can raise the risk of cholesterol, kidney stones, poor bone health, gut problems, and even cancer, added Stefanki.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
11 Sep. 2025
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Before Wednesday’s game, people within the organization were optimistic about Helsley putting his tipping problem and overall poor pitching behind him, pointing to a clean inning Monday.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2022
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Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Unproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unproductive. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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