unprofitable
/ʌnˈprɒfɪtəb(ə)l
/adjective
1(Of a business or activity) not yielding profit or financial gain: the mines became increasingly unprofitable...
- But 77 per cent of the profit was generated because most of their business was unprofitable.
- The enormous rise in premiums has made an unprofitable business profitable again.
- Second, it hid huge debts incurred to finance unprofitable new businesses, including retail energy services for new customers.
1.1(Of an activity) not beneficial or useful: there has been much unprofitable speculation...
- When we understand that the clinging to the concept of self causes us many problems in life, that it leads to what is unprofitable, we may see the benefit of the development of right understanding.
- You waste time on unprofitable activities, and devalue your donated services.
- Of all weary, flat, dull, and unprofitable ways of spending life, this exceeds all.
Derivatives
unprofitability
- Currently Bulgarian banks are holding between 3.5 to 4 billion leva in spare resources as a result of the cheapening dollar, lower interest rates and the ensuing unprofitability of holding foreign investments.
- The driving force behind the changeover was TV4's continuing unprofitability for owners CanWest.
- ‘It could mean the difference between profitability and unprofitability for an airline,’ he said.
unprofitably
/ adverb ...- Nevertheless, James Arkle earned relief with a long kick out of defence and Andy Hurst, unprofitably shifted from centre to wing, picked up a loose ball to embark on a characteristic weaving run down the middle.
- There the hungry office-boy may feed, and the odd minutes of the clerk's luncheon-hour may be most pleasantly, though, unprofitably, spent.
- Chernow estimates that Standard Oil charged unprofitably low prices in 9,000 out 37,000 towns where tank wagons distributed the oil.