unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl

: not profitable : producing no gain, good, or result

an unprofitable venture

unprofitableness noun

unprofitably

ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

-ˈpräf-tə-blē

adverb

Synonyms of unprofitable

• unsuccessful
• futile
• useless

Examples of unprofitable in a Sentence

an unprofitable effort to find the information

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Journal, Nvidia lending its backing to OpenAI would enable the developer to raise debt at more favorable terms because Nvidia's financial position is much better than that of unprofitable OpenAI. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 July 2026

Lilith Fair was a groundbreaking, all-female music festival, founded in 1997 by singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, challenging the notion that female artists were unprofitable and couldn’t draw large crowds. — Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026

Banks must hold more capital and allocate balances to high-quality liquid assets, lowering returns and, occasionally, making the business unprofitable. — Gary Palmer, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Digital services taxes are structured such that governments can collect revenue from large companies that operate online — even if the business is unprofitable. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unprofitable

• profitable

Kids Definition

unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl, 

ˈən-

: not profitable

unprofitably

-blē 

adverb