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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unproductive
Flores, who is coming off an injury-shorted and largely unproductive 2024, laid the foundation for this hot start with his go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning on their Opening Day win.
—
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
That leads us to another myth: that a service-heavy economy is somehow weak or unproductive.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
The idea that bureaucrats are slow-moving and unproductive, as well as insufficiently motivated, is drawn out in Victorian literature, too.
—Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Trump and his allies have laid off thousands of federal employees across various departments after criticizing public servants as unproductive and wasteful.
—William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2025
That leads us to another myth: that a service-heavy economy is somehow weak or unproductive.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
The idea that bureaucrats are slow-moving and unproductive, as well as insufficiently motivated, is drawn out in Victorian literature, too.
—Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
Trump and his allies have laid off thousands of federal employees across various departments after criticizing public servants as unproductive and wasteful.
—William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
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Dike, who has missed much of the last two years with a string of serious injuries, ended his barren spell by scoring for his English Championship club West Bromwich Albion in their 5-3 win over Luton Town on Saturday.—
Ali Rampling,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
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Without predators to keep them in check, says Laura Rogers-Bennett, a senior environmental scientist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, urchins devour the base of kelp and can turn towering forests into barren seascapes within a matter of seasons.—
Avery Schuyler Nunn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Each unsuccessful vote will be burned in a furnace with chemicals to dye the plume a black color.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2025
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Hutchinson had filed numerous unsuccessful appeals, many focused on mental health problems linked to his Army service.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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The Memphis rapper began the show with dramatics, rising on a giant platform with her back to the audience as a screen behind her projected the image of a desolate street.—
John Lonsdale,
Rolling Stone,
12 Apr. 2025
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The food and atmosphere had people from across the city willing to venture to a desolate stretch of Bushwick.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These results, though significant, don’t necessarily mean that efforts to effectively mitigate deepfakes are futile.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
30 Apr. 2025
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The similarly futile attempts to portray John Walker as a flawed but good man, despite his callous rage and murderous tendencies?—
Nola Pfau,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Pope Francis was the first pope to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, well-known for his call for engagement with the impoverished, love of creation and the Church.—
Gabriele Regalbuto,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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The dedication to care for impoverished women and children continues to influence the culture and values of Mercy today.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In one sense, Henry is the kind of useless man who creates hard times with his own passivity.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2025
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Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin Like many a controversial Y2K trend, the useless hip belt has made its way back into the sartorial zeitgeist with trendsetters like Emily Ratajkowski and Dua Lipa reviving the aesthetic in recent seasons.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Consumer spending softened, increasing 1.8%, down from a 4% rise in the fourth quarter, but a decent performance in light of stock market turmoil and poor weather early in the quarter.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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Still, some of the behavioral risks resemble sports betting, including the potential for addiction, poor money management and loss chasing, unrealistic expectations of success, and inappropriate reactions to negative results.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
30 Apr. 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 11 May. 2025.
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