How to Use unproductive in a Sentence

unproductive

adjective
  • But there are times that this advice can be unproductive at best.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 13 June 2024
  • The thought of not doing, even for a short time, is seen as lazy and unproductive.
    — Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 27 Dec. 2022
  • Play can look silly or unproductive — that's the point.
    — Cas Holman, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
  • This unproductive at-bat felt like an omen…so close, but just not going to happen.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • And even when the war ends, minefields could leave the land unused and unproductive for decades.
    — WIRED, 14 Oct. 2023
  • His only unproductive at-bat was in the sixth, when he was rung up looking on a low pitch out of the zone.
    — John Shipley, Twin Cities, 7 May 2025
  • Still, there were signs of preparations for a long — if unproductive — night.
    — Vivian Wang, New York Times, 19 June 2018
  • Attempts since then to resolve the strike have been unproductive.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The farm system has been famously unproductive for much of the last decade.
    — Dallas News, 4 Mar. 2023
  • That’ll certainly leave you feeling unproductive at the end of the week.
    — Dana Brownlee, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2022
  • Longer for an offense that has been so unproductive in the red zone for a couple seasons running.
    — Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, 27 Dec. 2021
  • Much of it feels unproductive, the result of a culture which is unprepared to talk about race.
    — Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 17 July 2019
  • Some of his drives were unproductive, his handle was a bit loose and there were a few perplexing passes.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 10 Aug. 2021
  • Those costs pile up as the contagion of traffic spreads, until swaths of the city are sick and unproductive.
    — Matt Simon, Wired, 7 Apr. 2020
  • Even missing just a few hours of sleep can turn the most stable person into a grumpy, unproductive mess the next day.
    — Valentina Bottoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024
  • Yet even in this willfully unproductive use of leisure time, work hovers overhead like a ghost.
    — Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Sheep are unproductive and their milk, ideal for cheese making, is a bit fatty for drinking.
    — Mark Kurlansky, Time, 7 May 2018
  • The pruning of dead, damaged and unproductive canes encourages the growth of new strong, healthy canes from the bud union.
    — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Jan. 2022
  • The next play with Shrader on the bench was unproductive, and the Orange were forced to punt.
    — Alexis Cubit, The Courier-Journal, 4 Sep. 2022
  • The at-bats were unproductive in the moment but foreboding for the future.
    — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, 18 Oct. 2019
  • On the next two drives, the Bengals offense got off to slow starts with unproductive runs by Mixon.
    — Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2022
  • As Doc put it last week, Ross' time here has been frustrating, strange and unproductive.
    — Dave Clark, The Enquirer, 3 Nov. 2020
  • Bill Belichick was quick to point out that reading too much into who is playing with whom is unproductive.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2021
  • This is not a good time to join a new group or flaunt your opinions in public places, as disagreements are likely to be unproductive.
    — Magi Helena, oregonlive, 5 Aug. 2020
  • Clark Eckels said a gas station would be a redundant, unproductive use of the land.
    — Stacy Ryburn, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2023
  • Very cold temperatures, heavy snow or ice, pests, and diseases can leave you with damaged or unproductive plants the next year.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The return game has been unproductive all season, but at least the Gators hadn’t been turning it over on returns.
    — Ryan Young, ajc, 5 Nov. 2017
  • When Woods went over the par-3 second green with his tee shot, a long, unproductive day seemed imminent.
    — Barry Wilner, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2018
  • That said, the 31-year-old first baseman been unproductive the entire season.
    — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
  • Anyone who suppresses grief, fear, or doubt because they were taught that those feelings are unproductive.
    — Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 11 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unproductive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: