un
pro
duc
tive
Comparative
more unproductive
Superlative
most unproductive
1
ineffective in producing positive or meaningful outcomes
- The unproductive meeting wasted everyone's time and didn't generate any new ideas.
- Her procrastination made her workday unproductive, as she didn't complete any tasks.
- The unproductive employee consistently missed deadlines and failed to meet targets.
- Her procrastination made her workday unproductive, as she didn't complete any tasks.
- Spending hours on social media is unproductive; it doesn't contribute to personal growth.
Synonyms:
2
not yielding significant amounts of crops, goods, or resources
- The farmers struggled with unproductive land that barely supported crops.
- Efforts to cultivate the unproductive soil failed due to poor nutrients.
- The region's unproductive farmland was converted into a wildlife reserve.
- The government invested in irrigation to improve unproductive agricultural areas.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
3
not capable of generating new word forms or constructions
- The suffix "-th" is now largely unproductive in English, with very few new words being formed with it.
- In modern English, the use of certain prefixes like "be-" has become unproductive, meaning new words rarely use it.
- The old plural form "-en" is considered unproductive in contemporary English, as it no longer forms new nouns.
- The verb-forming suffix "-fy" has become less productive in recent years, with fewer new words being created using it.
- Some affixes, like "-dom," are now unproductive in forming new words, existing mostly in older terms.