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
Synonyms
Examples of unprofitable in a Sentence
an unprofitable effort to find the information
Recent Examples on the Web
Even if unprofitable, the basketball program generates engagement and financial support from alumni and interest from prospective students.
—
Dan Eaton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024
By delivering big time for shareholders in what’s been a mainly unprofitable industry, and laughing at his own wacky persona.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024
Building out high-speed internet cables is costly; even more so to places that internet providers have traditionally overlooked as unprofitable or hard to reach.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
In a good sign for Reddit, which lost about $91 million last year, Pinterest shares are still trading about 80 percent above their IPO price—despite the company's remaining unprofitable, with a loss of nearly $36 million last year.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
Oil majors have recorded another year of strong earnings in their core business, which could deter investments in unprofitable low-carbon ventures.
—Dasha Shunina, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The online message board generates nearly all of its revenue from ads, and after 20 years as a business is still unprofitable.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
And Tesla took advantage of a popular provision in the tax code—using years of losses, from its early, unprofitable days, to reduce its tax liability in the present.
—Byirina Ivanova, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Frontier is planning to cut unprofitable flights from those airports, with its goal to remain a low-cost leader in the Orlando and Las Vegas markets, Biffle said.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024
Dan Eaton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2024
By delivering big time for shareholders in what’s been a mainly unprofitable industry, and laughing at his own wacky persona.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024
Building out high-speed internet cables is costly; even more so to places that internet providers have traditionally overlooked as unprofitable or hard to reach.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
In a good sign for Reddit, which lost about $91 million last year, Pinterest shares are still trading about 80 percent above their IPO price—despite the company's remaining unprofitable, with a loss of nearly $36 million last year.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
Oil majors have recorded another year of strong earnings in their core business, which could deter investments in unprofitable low-carbon ventures.
—Dasha Shunina, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The online message board generates nearly all of its revenue from ads, and after 20 years as a business is still unprofitable.
—Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
And Tesla took advantage of a popular provision in the tax code—using years of losses, from its early, unprofitable days, to reduce its tax liability in the present.
—Byirina Ivanova, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Frontier is planning to cut unprofitable flights from those airports, with its goal to remain a low-cost leader in the Orlando and Las Vegas markets, Biffle said.
—Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unprofitable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of unprofitable was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near unprofitable
Cite this Entry
“Unprofitable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unprofitable. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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