unfruitful

[ uhn-froot-fuhl ]

adjective

1. not providing satisfaction; unprofitable:

   unfruitful efforts.

   Synonyms: unrewarding, unproductive, vain, fruitless

2. not producing offspring; sterile:

   an unfruitful marriage.

3. not yielding good crops; infertile:

   unfruitful acres.

4. not bearing fruit; fruitless; barren:

   an unfruitful tree.

unfruitful

/ ʌnˈfruːtfʊl /

adjective

1. barren, unproductive, or unprofitable
2. failing to produce or develop into fruit

Derived Forms

• unˈfruitfully, adverb
• unˈfruitfulness, noun

Other Words From

• un·fruitful·ly adverb
• un·fruitful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfruitful¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; un- ¹, fruitful

Example Sentences

But the meeting proved unfruitful, with the Syrians not providing any proof-of-life information and making demands that U.S. officials deemed unreasonable.

From Seattle Times

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

From Salon

A long and unfruitful detour into basketry unfolds.

From Los Angeles Times

In Seattle, Starbucks and the union, Starbucks Workers United, clashed over employee firings, closure of unionized stores and unfruitful contract negotiations.

From Seattle Times

Egypt has been negotiating to replace a detained Ukrainian wheat shipment, two people with knowledge of the matter said, after talks to release the vessel carrying it proved unfruitful.

From Reuters