counterproductive
adjective
coun·ter·pro·duc·tive
ˌkau̇n-tər-prə-ˈdək-tiv 
: tending to hinder the attainment of a desired goal
violence as a means to achieve an end is counterproductive—
W. E. Brock born 1930
W. E. Brock born 1930Synonyms
Examples of counterproductive in a Sentence
His uncontrollable anger is very counterproductive to his attempt at saving his marriage.
harsh disciplinary measures that prove to be counterproductive
Recent Examples on the Web
The factors underlying this increasingly negative trend are varied and diverse, and political scientists offer more than a few explanations for why Democrats and Republicans may view one another in such divisive and counterproductive terms.
—Stephen Neely, Sun Sentinel, 17 June 2024
Notwithstanding the important role competition plays in sports, marketing, politics and other familiar matters, in education, competition is counterproductive.
—Marion Brady, Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2024
As pressure grew for each domain to work with the new Alexa LLM to craft generative AI features, each of which required accuracy benchmarks, the domains came into conflict, with sometimes counterproductive results, sources said.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 June 2024
In the run-up to European Parliament elections last week, far-right political parties denounced expenditures for the Ukraine war as fruitless, counterproductive and warmongering — and found a measure of electoral success with that refrain.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for counterproductive 
Stephen Neely, Sun Sentinel, 17 June 2024
Notwithstanding the important role competition plays in sports, marketing, politics and other familiar matters, in education, competition is counterproductive.
—Marion Brady, Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2024
As pressure grew for each domain to work with the new Alexa LLM to craft generative AI features, each of which required accuracy benchmarks, the domains came into conflict, with sometimes counterproductive results, sources said.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 June 2024
In the run-up to European Parliament elections last week, far-right political parties denounced expenditures for the Ukraine war as fruitless, counterproductive and warmongering — and found a measure of electoral success with that refrain.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for counterproductive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterproductive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Counterproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterproductive. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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