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
Relevance
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
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 unproductive
Like Gonzalez, neither Joe and Tirso Ornelas were largely unproductive before returning to El Paso, albeit over much smaller samples.
—
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2025
Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research NO: Attempts at micromanaging the economy are unproductive and detrimental.
—Phillip Molnar, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
That’s led to a lot of debate over gun control that has become unproductive, especially at the national level.
—Jens Ludwig, Time, 15 May 2025
Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2025
Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research NO: Attempts at micromanaging the economy are unproductive and detrimental.
—Phillip Molnar, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
That’s led to a lot of debate over gun control that has become unproductive, especially at the national level.
—Jens Ludwig, Time, 15 May 2025
Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
-
For many of the faithful, the pilgrimage begins at a sacred mud volcano rising from the barren landscape near the Makran Coastal Highway.—
Zia ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The festival was deliberately planned for the barren weeks in June after college students left and before the summer concert and festival season kicked in.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
One game after the Oilers were unsuccessful in challenging that Bennett interfered with Stuart Skinner during the game’s first goal, Bennett toppled over Skinner after getting contact from Ekholm later in the period.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 June 2025
-
Efforts to reach Suncor officials for this story were unsuccessful.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
When The Last of Us premiered back in 2023, there was massive chatter surrounding Pascal and his penchant for rescuing desolate children in TV shows.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
25 May 2025
-
See a camera operator following Snook to a desolate corner?—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
The fight against short-term rentals, after all, can be futile.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
6 June 2025
-
But without Congress actually enacting the DOGE cuts into law, history will show this entire exercise to have been largely futile.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
During campaign events, Lee, who grew up in an impoverished farming household and toiled in factories as a child, spoke from behind bullet-proof glass to crowds, which were surveyed by rooftop police snipers.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 June 2025
-
Curtis’ extraordinary talent is first recognized in kindergarten, when a charitable foundation donates instruments to his impoverished public school.—
Joan Gaylord,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
And beyond… Generalizations can be either good or bad, useful or useless.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
For one, any melasma treatment is practically useless without them.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
Massive clouds of pollutants could collide in North Carolina this week and result in poor air quality conditions for millions.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2025
-
This lack of preparation yields poor communication that worsens difficult situations and burns bridges between companies and fired employees.—
Nicole Tidei,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2022
-
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 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share