nonproductive

adjective

non·​pro·​duc·​tive ˌnän-prə-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce nonproductive (audio)
: not productive: such as
a
: failing to produce or yield : unproductive
a nonproductive oil well
b
: not directly concerned with production
the nonproductive labor of clerks and inspectors
c
of a cough : dry sense 3a
nonproductiveness noun

Examples of nonproductive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Bring The Office Closer To Them As populations grow, the real challenge of coming to the office is long commute times and the resulting nonproductive cycles. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 Since health care is often treated as a resource-dependent, nonproductive sector, in order to get things done, the Ministry of Health must negotiate with other central bureaucracies or call on superiors to intervene in cross-sector bargaining. Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2011 Buoyed by the early promise of its Dravet therapeutic, the company developed a second drug candidate, STK-002, that similarly targets splicing to turn nonproductive gene transcripts into constructive ones. Elie Dolgin, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2023 Remove all twiggy, dead or nonproductive growth. oregonlive, 8 Mar. 2022 But will this calculation include all the opportunity cost of the expenditure of nonproductive effort? WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022 In this framework, nonproductive bodies and ways of living become illegitimate in some way. John Patrick Leary, The New Republic, 6 Aug. 2021 Patients have what appear to be the typical symptoms of Covid-19: a nonproductive cough, chest tightness, and in some cases some mild gastrointestinal symptoms — usually nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Lisa Sanders, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2020 The highways will be crowded with hunters, but waiting until the following weekend of Oct. 26-27 might be nonproductive. John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nonproductive was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near nonproductive

Cite this Entry

“Nonproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonproductive. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

nonproductive

adjective
non·​pro·​duc·​tive ˌnän-prə-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce nonproductive (audio)
1
: failing to produce : unproductive
a nonproductive oil well
2
: not directly productive
nonproductive labor

Medical Definition

nonproductive

adjective
non·​pro·​duc·​tive -prə-ˈdək-tiv How to pronounce nonproductive (audio)
of a cough
: not effective in raising mucus or exudate from the respiratory tract : dry sense 2

More from Merriam-Webster on nonproductive

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