1
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
crop rotation had prevented the farmland from becoming unproductive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unsuccessful
producing no results
her attempts to write a novel have been unproductive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unproductive
Photo: Gillian Laub Parents might be nostalgic for an era when children spent their days outside throwing rocks, absorbed in productively unproductive play, but actually re-creating that ideal can feel impossible.
—
Lauren Hilgers, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
With a new year and its attendant resolutions calling on us to work harder and be fitter, cultivating a third life—a life with regular time for connection and glorious, unproductive leisure—is a better goal for 2025.
—Adam Chandler, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025
The bench was also unproductive, combining for just 12 points, compared with 32 scored by their opponent‘s reserves.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Aside from this Congress, the previously most unproductive sessions were the 112th and 113th — in which Republicans controlled the House and clashed bitterly with President Obama.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unproductive 
Lauren Hilgers, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
With a new year and its attendant resolutions calling on us to work harder and be fitter, cultivating a third life—a life with regular time for connection and glorious, unproductive leisure—is a better goal for 2025.
—Adam Chandler, TIME, 2 Jan. 2025
The bench was also unproductive, combining for just 12 points, compared with 32 scored by their opponent‘s reserves.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Aside from this Congress, the previously most unproductive sessions were the 112th and 113th — in which Republicans controlled the House and clashed bitterly with President Obama.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unproductive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unproductive
Adjective
-
The Anatolian mountains, where Ali tends to a barren garden, provide a sinister backdrop from which anything, not just a vagabond dropped as if from the sky, can suddenly appear.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025
-
The streets are barren, save for occasional officials’ vehicles.—
Katie Kilkenny,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Early attempts that fell short reveal that most cellular love affairs are unsuccessful.—
Molly Herring,
WIRED,
26 Jan. 2025
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Funding Nearly Halted Worldwide: State Department Putin Faces 'Really Big Problems' in Russian Economy: Report The U.S. has been sued in the past over the policy, though the lawsuits have been unsuccessful.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
For the scenes that take place in the Human World, the crew is going to shoot in a desolate part of Iceland.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2025
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What's more, the plane was completely encircled by massive screens that projected high-resolution videos of desolate Alaskan wilderness.—
Marco della Cava,
USA TODAY,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Multifactor authentication and other validation checks will become increasingly futile.—
Michael DeCesare,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
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That drive went 74 yards in seven plays and was the answer the Buccaneers desperately needed after a mostly futile first half on offense.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Guatemala, a small, impoverished nation scarred by a brutal civil war, has a substantial undocumented population in the United States.—
Daniele Volpe,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
-
The workshop's initial mission was to provide a trade for widows and other impoverished Palestinian women.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Without that essential training to help surmount powerful systemic barriers, the kit would have been useless—and in that sense, the job is still woefully unfinished.—
Sheila McClear,
The Atlantic,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Esoteric knowledge of the parks, essentially useless anywhere else, is suddenly incredibly useful.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Understand that poor sleep hygiene can negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
24 Jan. 2025
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The Texans’ offensive line was mostly poor this season, unable to consistently protect Stroud.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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This anti-waste brand upcycles materials, and was founded by Kisa Sky Shiga.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2022
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Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.—
The Christian Science Monitor,
The Christian Science Monitor,
3 Aug. 2022
Thesaurus Entries Near unproductive
Cite this Entry
“Unproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unproductive. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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