counterproductive

Use Counterproductive in a sentence

coun·ter·pro·duc·tive

[koun-ter-pruh-duhk-tiv]
adjective
thwarting the achievement of an intended goal; tending to defeat one's purpose: Living on credit while trying to save money is counterproductive.

Origin:
1960–65; counter- + productive

coun·ter·pro·duc·tive·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To counterproductive
Collins
World English Dictionary
counterproductive (ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
tending to hinder or act against the achievement of an aim

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Counterproductive is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

counterproductive
also counter-productive, counter productive, 1959, Amer.Eng., from counter- + productive.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
They win by compelling empires into counterproductive overspending.
Having these times dictated to us by ignorant admin dufuses is ridiculous, and ultimately counterproductive.
Still, actions that seem counterproductive and irrational occur not only in human societies, but also all over the animal kingdom.
There is good evidence, for instance, that too much exercise can be counterproductive when you have an illness.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT