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

unprofitably

ˌən-ˈprä-fə-tə-blē 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl

adverb

Synonyms

• abortive
• barren
• bootless
• empty
• fruitless
• futile
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• inefficacious
• otiose
• profitless
• unavailing
• unproductive
• unsuccessful
• useless
• vain

Examples of unprofitable in a Sentence

an unprofitable effort to find the information

Recent Examples on the Web

Amazon has also shuttered some of its more experimental and unprofitable initiatives, including its telehealth offering, a brick-and-mortar delivery program, and try-on service for clothing and shoes. —Annie Palmer, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025

Disney+ and Hulu remain unprofitable on their own, and subscriber growth across both platforms has been a bit of a headache. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 25 Dec. 2024

To be sure, one risky, unprofitable stock like MicroStrategy taking a tumble isn’t a major issue on its own (except to the people who own it, of course!). —Michael Foster, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

The carrier is also eliminating its direct daily flight from Frankfurt to Beijing because the fuel-guzzling, older aircraft on that service make that route unprofitable amid Russian airspace closures. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unprofitable

adjective

un·​prof·​it·​able ˌən-ˈpräf-ət-ə-bəl 

-ˈpräf-tə-bəl,

ˈən-

: not profitable

unprofitably

-blē 

adverb