nonproductive

[ non-pruh-duhk-tiv ]
/ ˌnɒn prəˈdʌk tɪv /

adjective

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

OTHER WORDS FROM nonproductive

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

Example sentences from the Web for nonproductive

  • Besides the overhead of slaves and nonproductive brewers, the establishment required the services of two coopers at 20 per year.

  • They are classed as nonproductive workers, therefore their salary scales are lower than those for productive workers.

    Area Handbook for Bulgaria |Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

British Dictionary definitions for nonproductive

nonproductive
/ (ˌnɒnprəˈdʌktɪv) /

adjective

(of workers) not directly responsible for producing goods
having disappointing results; unproductive

Derived forms of nonproductive

nonproductiveness, noun nonproductivity (ˌnɒnprɒdʌkˈtɪvɪtɪ), noun