unprofitable
Americanadjective
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being without profit; not showing or turning a profit.
a series of unprofitable ventures.
-
pointless or futile.
an unprofitable three years in a routine job.
adjective
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not making a profit
-
not fruitful or beneficial
Other Word Forms
- unprofitability noun
- unprofitableness noun
- unprofitably adverb
Etymology
Origin of unprofitable
1275–1325; Middle English. See un- 1, profitable
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Smaller domestic military budgets also reduce the need for companies to kowtow to politicians by maintaining unprofitable operations in their districts or supporting civilian projects.
More: The small-cap ‘recovery’ is a myth built on unprofitable stocks.
From MarketWatch
Paramount said it expected to see softer subscriber growth in the coming quarters as it works to drop a group of bundled subscriptions — just below 2% of its total — that were unprofitable.
From MarketWatch
"If tourists stayed away, these places would quickly become unprofitable, and tragedies like this would be far less likely to happen," the group added.
From Barron's
The growth in Medicare Advantage, the private-plan alternative to traditional Medicare, has slowed in 2026 as plans quit unprofitable markets and trimmed benefits, but subscriber gains haven’t faltered as badly as expected.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
