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
Tens of thousands of unproductive and unplugged oil wells have been abandoned across California — many of which continue to leak potentially explosive methane or toxic benzene.
—
Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Blueberries Blueberry plants become weak and unproductive if they’re not pruned from time to time in winter.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Feb. 2026
That shift was positive for tribal leaders, who had unproductive relationships with the state after Noem was banned from tribal lands, Lengkeek said.
—Molly Wetsch, South Dakota News Watch, 17 Jan. 2026
The human brain is highly susceptible to often unproductive mind-wandering, and modern technology has only made the problem worse.
—Harvard Business Review, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Blueberries Blueberry plants become weak and unproductive if they’re not pruned from time to time in winter.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Feb. 2026
That shift was positive for tribal leaders, who had unproductive relationships with the state after Noem was banned from tribal lands, Lengkeek said.
—Molly Wetsch, South Dakota News Watch, 17 Jan. 2026
The human brain is highly susceptible to often unproductive mind-wandering, and modern technology has only made the problem worse.
—Harvard Business Review, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
-
In some places, fish catches declined precipitously in medium depths, which Joye attributes to nutritionally barren conditions.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
His dread turned to panic when Hochheiser, 79, was unloaded at Villa Rosa III, a 48-bed assisted living home with peeling paint, burglar bars, barren planters and a history of poor care.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Life-saving measures were unsuccessful.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
9 Apr. 2026
-
During the most recent campaign and in a previous unsuccessful run for mayor, Laesch claimed Irvin prioritized government contracts or incentives to those who donated to his campaign, which Irvin consistently denied.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The field, a desolate oil patch, will eventually be the central location for what became known as the Texas Killing Fields.—
John Wayne Ferguson,
Houston Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Miller and Cook were two of four young women whose bodies were found between 1984 and 1991 in a rural field off a desolate dirt road in League City, located about 28 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Houston.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But past attempts to achieve similar solutions proved futile.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But the question of what is true or not is futile, even if Calle deliberately provokes this curiosity.—
Elisa Wouk Almino
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-skinned developing world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The youngsters took the train south to the deep, impoverished heart of China.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Architects and other critics of the project had panned the staircase as too large and basically useless since there was no way to enter the ballroom at the top.—
Darlene Superville,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In practice, this means a madhouse of multimedia rooms, packed with gurgling videos and useless machines and humanoid bodies.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Arsenal were pretty poor but won, Sporting were pretty good but lost.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Ackman blamed its poor share price performance partly on the delay of UMG’s listing in the United States.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Its 2020 anti-waste law requires unsold nonfood goods to be reused, donated or recycled instead of destroyed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Breakfast is served in the Heritage Room, and is never too copious, in line with the hotel's anti-waste policy.—
Maddalena Fossati,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unproductive. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
