counterproductive
adjective
coun·ter·pro·duc·tive
ˌkau̇n-tər-prə-ˈdək-tiv 
: tending to hinder the attainment of a desired goal
violence as a means to achieve an end is counterproductive—
W. E. Brock born 1930
W. E. Brock born 1930Synonyms
Examples of counterproductive in a Sentence
His uncontrollable anger is very counterproductive to his attempt at saving his marriage.
harsh disciplinary measures that prove to be counterproductive
Recent Examples on the Web
But this may have been counterproductive, at least for the penguin colonies.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
Potentially dumping Hoerner’s salary to make Bregman’s numbers work within a budget for baseball operations would be counterproductive.
—Patrick Mooney, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
Requiring an affordable component is counterproductive by limiting numbers while making other housing costs rise more to compensate for them.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Is the freezing of USAID funds for humanitarian assistance productive or counterproductive for the fights against future worldwide pandemics?
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for counterproductive 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
Potentially dumping Hoerner’s salary to make Bregman’s numbers work within a budget for baseball operations would be counterproductive.
—Patrick Mooney, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
Requiring an affordable component is counterproductive by limiting numbers while making other housing costs rise more to compensate for them.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
Is the freezing of USAID funds for humanitarian assistance productive or counterproductive for the fights against future worldwide pandemics?
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for counterproductive
Dictionary Entries Near counterproductive
Cite this Entry
“Counterproductive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterproductive. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share