unprofitable

[ uhn-prof-i-tuh-buhl ]

adjective

1. being without profit; not showing or turning a profit:

   a series of unprofitable ventures.

2. pointless or futile:

   an unprofitable three years in a routine job.

unprofitable

/ ʌnˈprɒfɪtəbəl /

adjective

1. not making a profit
2. not fruitful or beneficial

Derived Forms

• unˈprofitably, adverb
• unˌprofitaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• un·profit·a·ble·ness un·profit·a·bili·ty noun
• un·profit·a·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unprofitable¹

1275–1325; Middle English. See un- ¹, profitable

Example Sentences

That would hurt Tesla’s unprofitable rivals that rely more on the tax credits to lure customers.

From Los Angeles Times

Many of the locations to be shuttered are too old to be remodeled or are in unprofitable areas, Dunn said.

From Los Angeles Times

As consumers increasingly abandon cable and satellite broadcasts in favor of streaming, broadcast rights deals that pay teams based on an economic model of subscribers paying for a regional sports network, whether they watch it or not, have become outdated and often unprofitable.

From Los Angeles Times

Its owner at the time, Exelon, which spun out Constellation as an independent business in 2022, said the low cost of natural gas extraction had made nuclear-generated electricity unprofitable.

From BBC

The trend is a national one: More than 200 hospitals across the country have closed labor and delivery units since 2011, often because they are unprofitable and harder to staff than other hospital services.

From New York Times

Related Words

• fruitless
• futile
• idle
• useless