nonproductive

[ non-pruh-duhk-tiv ]

/ ˌnɒn prəˈdʌk tɪv /

not productive; unproductive.

not worthwhile or beneficial; not leading to practical or beneficial results.

not producing goods directly, as employees in charge of personnel or inspectors.

Origin of nonproductive

First recorded in 1920–25; non- + productive

non·pro·duc·tive·ly, adverb non·pro·duc·tive·ness, non·pro·duc·tiv·i·ty

[non-proh-duhk-tiv-i-tee, -prod-uh k-] /ˌnɒn proʊ dʌkˈtɪv ɪ ti, -prɒd ək-/, noun

The entire force of a store is sometimes arbitrarily divided by the management into "productive," and "non-productive" help.

Wage Earning and Education |R. R. Lutz
It is the study of human action as productive, or non-productive, of some certain general good.

Is Life Worth Living? |William Hurrell Mallock
All persons engaged in occupations which a competent tribunal decided to classify as non-essential or non-productive.

Bolshevism |John Spargo
They make demands on the organism for nourishment, and are thus in the position of non-productive members of a working family.

Parallel Paths |Thomas William Rolleston

Here also the arbitrary and non-productive style of teaching ran strongly counter to me at every step.

Autobiography of Friedrich Froebel |Friedrich Froebel

nonproductive

/ (ˌnɒnprəˈdʌktɪv) /

(of workers) not directly responsible for producing goods

having disappointing results; unproductive

nonproductiveness, noun nonproductivity (ˌnɒnprɒdʌkˈtɪvɪtɪ), noun