productive
Americanadjective
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having the power of producing; generative; creative.
a productive effort.
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producing readily or abundantly; fertile.
a productive vineyard.
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causing; bringing about (usually followed byof ).
conditions productive of crime and sin.
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Economics. producing or tending to produce goods and services having exchange value.
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Grammar. (of derivational affixes or patterns) readily used in forming new words, as the suffix -ness.
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(in language learning) of or relating to the language skills of speaking and writing (receptive ).
adjective
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producing or having the power to produce; fertile
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yielding favourable or effective results
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economics
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producing or capable of producing goods and services that have monetary or exchange value
productive assets
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of or relating to such production
the productive processes of an industry
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resulting in
productive of good results
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denoting an affix or combining form used to produce new words
Related Words
Productive, fertile, fruitful, prolific apply to the generative aspect of something. Productive refers to a generative source of continuing activity: productive soil; a productive influence. Fertile applies to that in which seeds, literal or figurative, take root: fertile soil; a fertile imagination. Fruitful refers to that which has already produced and is capable of further production: fruitful soil, discovery, theory. Prolific means highly productive: a prolific farm, writer.
Other Word Forms
- antiproductive adjective
- antiproductively adverb
- productively adverb
- productiveness noun
- productivity noun
- semiproductive adjective
- semiproductively adverb
- unproductive adjective
- unproductively adverb
- unproductiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of productive
First recorded in 1605–15; from the Medieval Latin word productīvus; product, -ive
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.
"It could be a pivotal week for diplomacy. We heard yesterday that the talks in America were difficult but productive," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas added at a meeting of EU defence ministers.
From Barron's
For centuries, communities maintained productive landscapes by working with the region's natural rhythms.
From Science Daily
States are investing in programs designed to promote respectful and productive dialogue across political, cultural, religious and socio-economic lines.
He later described the talks as "productive and successful" while Rubio said they had been "very productive and useful".
From BBC
Upwelling systems rank among the most biologically productive regions on Earth and play an essential role in supporting global fisheries.
From Science Daily
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.
