Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Not productive; idle.
- adjective Economics Adding nothing to exchangeable value.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Not productive; barren; more especially, not producing large crops; not making profitable returns for labor: as, unproductive land; in political economics, not increasing the quantity or exchangeable value of articles of consumption: as, unproductive labor.
- Not producing some specified effect or result: with of: as, acts unproductive of good.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Not
productive ;useless ;fruitless .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective not producing or capable of producing
- adjective not producing desired results
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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You see, she made her own living before she married me and she's got no use for what she calls the unproductive consumer.
The Comings of Cousin Ann Emma Speed Sampson 1907
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Mr Lipsky smiled when asked about this, saying he had asked for the word "unproductive" to be removed from the statement after some "real progress" was made during ill-tempered talks the previous night ie, Germany gave up on the idea of debt swaps.
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Of course, sometimes they end up being stupid or go off in unproductive directions.
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It distorts education policy in unproductive ways.
A Matter of Degrees 2006
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It distorts education policy in unproductive ways.
A Matter of Degrees 2006
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It distorts education policy in unproductive ways.
A Matter of Degrees 2006
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"Most people have energy tied up in unproductive strategies that produce unnecessary drama," says Barbara McRae, a master certified coach and author of Less Drama, More Fun.
USATODAY.com - Career coaches hit us with their best shots 2002
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This will make exploration much more effective, as time will not be wasted in unproductive areas, and work can be concentrated where geological conditions appear favorable.
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The tax, in its essence and positive destiny, is the form of distribution among that species of functionaries which Adam Smith has designated by the word unproductive, although he admits as much as any one the utility and even the necessity of their labor in society.
System of Economical Contradictions: or, the Philosophy of Misery 1888
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"My joke is I had this studio with incredibly good reception and it ruined everything," Ms. Homes says, recalling her unproductive sojourn.
Retreats Surrender to Wi-Fi Steven Kurutz 2010
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