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
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
Neither Urgent Nor Important: The time-wasters (e.g., excessive social media scrolling, unproductive busywork).
—Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
By this point, intimacy is a rarity, communication is unproductive and emotional reciprocity is a thing of a past.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
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
Neither Urgent Nor Important: The time-wasters (e.g., excessive social media scrolling, unproductive busywork).
—Nell Derick Debevoise, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
By this point, intimacy is a rarity, communication is unproductive and emotional reciprocity is a thing of a past.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
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Charlie Parker’s Favorite Painting (1946) indicates Abercrombie’s engagement with social issues: a yellow noose, nearly fluorescent against a dishwater sky, dangles from a barren tree—an oblique lament from the doggedly antiracist Abercrombie.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Mass Effect's core loop doesn't benefit from huge barren landscapes that are devoid of detail.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Last year, Harry’s legal action against the Home Office was unsuccessful and the court initially refused him permission to appeal.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
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June became hopeful that the American rescue mission would lead to a reunion with her daughter, but that was unsuccessful.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Fourteen years of war have left the country desolate, and its people exhausted; millions have been displaced or were forced to become refugees.—
Raghed Waked & Justin Salhani,
The Dial,
25 Mar. 2025
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That quality is maintained first and foremost by a desolate whistling-wind sound effect in the background of all the scenes, along with a sustained droning musical score.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Impeachment of judges, however, is widely seen as a futile endeavor on Capitol Hill.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
3 Apr. 2025
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The confrontation ends in an electric if futile horse chase.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Criminal justice scholars say that when scores based on immutable facts are weighted so heavily in parole decisions, prisoners from impoverished, racially segregated communities are more likely to be hurt.—
Richard A. Webster,
ProPublica,
10 Apr. 2025
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The once-vacant lot across the street from her childhood playground on Washington Avenue is now home to Wilcox Academy, an early learning center that represents a powerful investment in a historically impoverished community.—
Raymond Pierce,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For most of us, our inbox goals are the same: minimize useless spam, file away messages that don’t require your attention right away, and bring urgent items to the forefront.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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His devastating splitter would be useless without first establishing everything else in the strike zone.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Some parents worry that Alexa's high tolerance for rudeness instills poor behavior in their kids, according to Quartz.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
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Then someone pointed a finger at a surprising culprit: the soldiers’ poor health.—
Maxim Sytch,
Harvard Business Review,
18 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 23 Apr. 2025.
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