productive
gb/pɹədˈʌktɪv/ us/pɹədˈʌktɪv/
B1
English
~ 8000
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
getting a lot of useful work done
doing a lot of useful work or tasks in a short time
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is productive
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "productive" with "busy." Someone can be busy but not productive. "Productive" means you actually finish useful tasks, not just that you are doing many things.
Synonyms
efficient (focuses more on using time and energy well, not always on how much is finished)
Antonyms
unproductive (describes time or effort that leads to little or no useful result)
Collocations
highly productive
|productive day
|productive morning
|productive worker
|stay productive
|be more productive
Themes
work
|daily life
|self-improvement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I was very productive this morning and finished all my reports.
- She finds that she is more productive when she works from home.
- With fewer meetings, our team has become much more productive.
- A short break can help you stay productive all afternoon.
- He uses a task list to make his study time more productive.
Learner examples
- I had a very productive day at work.
- I am more productive in the early morning.
- This new app helps me be productive when I study.
- She wants to be productive and finish her project today.
- Good sleep makes me more productive the next day.
adjective
B2
property
2
leading to useful or positive results
giving good and useful results from an activity, like a meeting or talk
Usage pattern:
a productive [meeting/discussion/session]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "a product meeting" instead of "a productive meeting." "Product" is a noun; use the adjective "productive" to describe meetings, talks, or work that gives good results.
Synonyms
fruitful (slightly more formal and often used for discussions, ideas, or partnerships that give many good results)
Antonyms
pointless (emphasizes that an activity has no useful purpose or result)
Collocations
productive meeting
|productive discussion
|productive conversation
|productive relationship
|productive collaboration
|productive dialogue
Themes
work
|communication
|business
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We had a very productive meeting and agreed on a clear plan.
- The workshop was productive, and everyone left with concrete next steps.
- Their conversation was productive and helped resolve several misunderstandings.
- The two companies have built a long, productive partnership.
- Let’s keep this discussion focused so it stays productive.
Learner examples
- The class was productive because I learned many new things.
- It was a productive meeting, and we solved our main problem.
- Talking to my manager was productive, and now I know what to do.
- Group work can be productive when everyone helps.
- They had a productive discussion and made a decision.
adjective
B2
property
3
producing a lot of goods or output
producing a large amount of things, such as food, goods, or materials
Usage pattern:
a productive [farm/factory/area]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use only "good" to describe land or factories. In contexts of how much they can produce, "productive" is more precise than "good."
Synonyms
fertile (used mainly for land or soil that can produce many plants or crops)
Antonyms
barren (describes land that cannot produce crops or vegetation)
Collocations
productive land
|highly productive farm
|productive farmland
|productive factory
|productive oil field
|productive mine
Themes
economy
|agriculture
|industry
|work
|nature
Examples
- The valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country.
- New equipment has made the factory far more productive.
- Irrigation turned the desert into highly productive farmland.
- The mine was once very productive, but its output has fallen in recent years.
- These waters are extremely productive fishing grounds.
Learner examples
- This field is very productive and grows a lot of rice.
- The new machines made the factory more productive.
- The land is not productive because there is little rain.
- Our farm was productive last year, and we sold many vegetables.
- The oil field is still productive after many years.
adjective
formal
C1
property
4
adding to economic value or growth
bringing real economic value, for example by creating goods or useful services
Usage pattern:
a productive [job/sector/investment]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the general sense of "busy" or "hard-working." In economic texts, "productive" usually refers to activities that directly create goods or valuable services, not just activity in general.
Synonyms
economically valuable (explicitly highlights the link to money or value, while "productive" is slightly more compact and technical)
Antonyms
wasteful (emphasizes that resources are used without creating useful economic value)
Collocations
productive sector
|productive investment
|productive capacity
|productive jobs
|productive capital
|productive resources
Themes
economy
|business
|politics
|finance
Examples
- The government promised to shift spending from consumption to more productive investment.
- They argue that education is one of the most productive uses of public money.
- Policies that support small businesses can lead to more productive employment.
- We need to move capital into more productive sectors of the economy.
- Tax incentives were designed to encourage productive rather than speculative activity.
Learner examples
- The country needs more productive jobs, not just more jobs.
- Training workers can be a very productive use of money.
- The bank wants to lend to productive businesses.
- They moved their money into more productive investments.
- The government supports the productive sector of the economy.
unknown
technical
C1
property
5
forming new words or structures in language
used in language again and again to make new words or forms
Usage pattern:
a productive [suffix/pattern/rule]
Common mistake:
Learners may assume "productive" only means "useful" in this context. In linguistics, it has the specific technical meaning of being actively used to create new forms, not just being helpful.
Synonyms
generative (used in theoretical linguistics; suggests the ability to produce many forms, but can be broader than just word-formation)
Antonyms
unproductive (describes a pattern that no longer creates new words in modern use)
Collocations
productive suffix
|productive pattern
|productive rule
|highly productive process
|productive morphological process
|productive derivation
Themes
language
|linguistics
|education
|communication
Examples
- The suffix "-ness" is highly productive in forming nouns from adjectives in English.
- Reduplication is a productive morphological process in several Asian languages.
- This pattern is no longer productive and only appears in a few old word forms.
- Plural -s is one of the most productive rules in English morphology.
- The study examines which verb endings are currently productive among young speakers.
Learner examples
- The ending "-er" is productive in English; it makes many new nouns like "reader" and "writer."
- Some old word endings are not productive today.
- In this language, adding a small word before the verb is a productive pattern.
- The teacher said that this rule is very productive in modern English.
- A productive suffix can make many new words that people really use.
adjective
technical
B2
property
6
producing mucus or other bodily material
producing mucus or wet material, especially when talking about a cough
Usage pattern:
a productive [cough]
Common mistake:
Learners may think "productive cough" means a cough that is somehow "good" or "useful." In medical English, it only means that the cough produces mucus or other material.
Synonyms
wet (informal; commonly used for coughs that produce mucus, not used in medical writing)
Antonyms
dry (describes a cough with no mucus or phlegm)
Collocations
productive cough
|productive sputum
|chronic productive cough
|acute productive cough
|loosely productive cough
|highly productive cough
Themes
health
|medicine
|body
Examples
- The patient reported a productive cough with thick yellow sputum.
- A new, increasingly productive cough can be a sign of infection.
- She developed a chronic productive cough after years of smoking.
- Treatment reduced the severity of his productive cough within a week.
- A productive cough usually indicates that mucus is present in the airways.
Learner examples
- The doctor asked if my cough was dry or productive.
- He has a productive cough with a lot of mucus.
- A productive cough can be a sign of lung problems.
- After the medicine, her cough became less productive.
- A productive cough often means there is mucus in the chest.
adjective
formal
C1
property
7
causing or bringing about a result
causing a certain result, usually said as "productive of" something
Usage pattern:
[something] is productive of [result]
Common mistake:
Learners usually do not use the structure "productive of" and instead say "makes" or "causes." This formal phrase is mainly found in written English and is not common in everyday speech.
Synonyms
leading to (more neutral and common; does not have the formal or slightly old-fashioned tone of "productive of")
Antonyms
counterproductive (describes actions that produce the opposite of the intended good result)
Collocations
productive of results
|productive of change
|productive of confusion
|productive of conflict
|productive of good will
|productive of serious consequences
Themes
formal
|law
|writing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Such remarks are hardly productive of mutual trust.
- The policy proved productive of many unintended consequences.
- Their strategy was productive of more tension than agreement.
- These changes are unlikely to be productive of real reform.
- Harsh criticism is rarely productive of improvement.
Learner examples
- This type of talk is not productive of peace.
- His behavior was productive of many problems.
- The rule was productive of confusion among students.
- The new law was productive of social change.
- Such actions are not productive of good results.
Grammar
Dictionary form
productive
IPA
GB/pɹədˈʌktɪv/
US/pɹədˈʌktɪv/
Syllables & stress
pro - duct - ive (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (duct)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: productive
Word family
Core family
Related words
productively
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unproductive
adjective
counterproductive
adjective B2
Expressions
be productive
1/bˈi pɹədˈʌktɪv/
fixed phrase
do a lot of useful work
to get many useful things done in a period of time
Examples
- I can’t be productive when my phone keeps buzzing.
- She’s usually most productive early in the morning.
make productive use of
1/mˈeɪk pɹədˈʌktɪv jˈus əv/
fixed phrase
formal
use something in a useful way
to use time, money, or something else in a way that gives good and useful results
Examples
- I tried to make productive use of the long flight by finishing my report.
- The company wants to make more productive use of its office space.
productive cough
1/pɹədˈʌktɪv kˈɔf/
fixed phrase
technical
cough that produces mucus
a cough that brings up mucus or wet material from the chest
Examples
- The patient has had a productive cough for three days.
- A productive cough with green mucus may mean you have an infection.
productive day
1/pɹədˈʌktɪv dˈeɪ/
fixed phrase
a day with many tasks completed
a day when you finish many useful tasks or jobs
Examples
- It was a very productive day; I finished all my assignments.
- I hope tomorrow will be a productive day at the office.
productive discussion
1/pɹədˈʌktɪv dɪskˈʌʃən/
fixed phrase
discussion that leads to solutions or ideas
a talk where people share ideas and reach useful results or plans
Examples
- We had a very productive discussion about the new project.
- I’d like this to be a productive discussion, not an argument.
productive meeting
1/pɹədˈʌktɪv mˈitɪŋ/
fixed phrase
meeting with clear useful results
a meeting that gives clear plans, ideas, or decisions and is not a waste of time
Examples
- Thanks for a really productive meeting this morning.
- Let’s keep the agenda short so we can have a productive meeting.