unconstructive

adjective

un·​con·​struct·​ive ˌən-kən-ˈstrək-tiv How to pronounce unconstructive (audio)
: not serving to promote improvement or advancement : not constructive
vague and unconstructive criticism

Examples of unconstructive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Candid, forthright, and often courageous, this book cuts through decades of bromides, wishful thinking, and unconstructive ambiguity to assess the long and painful struggle to establish democracy in Israel. Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024 What’s more, asking too many questions and questions with easy answers was also deemed unconstructive and resulted in being less likable. Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2023 Comments which are not made in good faith or are otherwise unconstructive will be removed. Erik Kain, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023 Politically, this plan allows leaders to move away from the unconstructive debates that have framed our handling of Covid-19. Julian Zelizer, CNN, 18 Feb. 2022 As intolerance of uncertainty has begun to be studied as a separate trait from a tendency to worry, psychologists have identified typical behaviors—often unconstructive ones—that people use to tamp down their distress at not knowing. Francine Russo, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unconstructive was in 1898

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Cite this Entry

“Unconstructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unconstructive. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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