as in worthless
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Recent Examples of nonproductive
Course of trade in the oil industry often leaves the public on the hook for nonproductive well cleanup costs, including capping.
—
Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
But there are productive and nonproductive ways to respond.
—Carlo J.v. Caro, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2017
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
Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
But there are productive and nonproductive ways to respond.
—Carlo J.v. Caro, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2017
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonproductive
Adjective
-
The problem with these groups is that not only are you being sold something that is probably close to worthless, but by not dealing directly with an attorney there is no attorney-client privilege which protects the communications between these groups and their clients.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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In a political and social climate ripe with fear and uncertainty, survival can feel like a worthless pursuit, but Black history teaches us how to live in liminality — to embrace the unknown, the in-between, the transitional.—
Mathew Holloway,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This process, however, is both expensive and unprofitable.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The firm had to pull back, because the 25 percent tariff made exporting unprofitable.—
Jeanna Smialek,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
When wells proved unproductive or dry, companies often transferred ownership to landowners who repurposed them as water wells.—
ALEJANDRA MARTINEZ The Texas Tribune,
arkansasonline.com,
9 Feb. 2025
-
Smith, the president of Local 1, which represents VA employees in California, said his members were angered that the Human Resources Department of the federal government suggested their work caring for veterans was unproductive.—
William Melhado,
Sacramento Bee,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The robber was unsuccessful in his attempt to take cash from the register and fled the scene.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The Duke of York’s attempts to seize the throne were unsuccessful, and he was ultimately killed in battle in 1460.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The forthcoming live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon can’t help but feel somewhat pointless — the great cinematographer Roger Deakins already consulted on the original to make its animation as sweepingly realistic as possible.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Hence, the four are reunited, and their seemingly pointless work has resumed, but more mysteries are brewing beneath the sleek, minimalist surface of Lumon.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
In the Milky Way’s galactic magnetic field, the force is so weak that a standard compass would be virtually useless.—
Jake Parks,
Discover Magazine,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Several pharmacists in São Paulo repeatedly stressed that just a few hours at room temperature renders the medications useless.—
Flávia Milhorance,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Less than a year and a half later, Mr. Lukashenko allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with an abortive thrust south from Belarus toward Kyiv.—
Tomas Dapkus,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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Yet Texas law forbids its state maternal mortality review committee from looking into the deaths of patients who received an abortive procedure or medication, even in cases of miscarriage.—
Ziva Branstetter,
ProPublica,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The position advanced by the states is legally unavailing as a matter of longstanding and well-established law.—
WSJ,
WSJ,
25 July 2018
-
Efforts to aid him with lifeboats, three of which were ineffectually trying to breast the heavy sea, were unavailing, while a lifeline, held by a number of rescuers, was carried far out into the surf by a number of swimmers.—
sandiegouniontribune.com,
sandiegouniontribune.com,
6 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Nonproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonproductive. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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