Need another word that means the same as “counterproductive”? Find 24 synonyms and 30 related words for “counterproductive” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Counterproductive” are: harmful, damaging, injurious, hurtful, inimical, deleterious, dangerous, destructive, ruinous, calamitous, disastrous, pernicious, ill, bad, evil, baleful, malign, corrupting, malignant, adverse, undesirable, prejudicial, unfavourable, unfortunate
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “counterproductive” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
| adverse | Preventing success or development; harmful; unfavourable. Adverse currents. |
| bad | Feeling physical discomfort or pain tough is occasionally used colloquially for bad. It was a bad light for reading. |
| baleful | Threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments. Bill shot a baleful glance in her direction. |
| calamitous | Involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous. Such calamitous events as fires hurricanes and floods. |
| corrupting | Harmful to the mind or morals. Corrupt judges and their corrupting influence. |
| damaging | Designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions. Damaging to career and reputation. |
| dangerous | Involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm. Unemployment reached dangerous proportions. |
| deleterious | Causing harm or damage. Divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children. |
| destructive | Causing great and irreparable damage. The destructive power of weapons. |
| disastrous | Causing great damage. A disastrous fire swept through the museum. |
| evil | Of a force or spirit embodying or associated with the forces of the devil. Stories about the evil effects of television on children make good copy. |
| harmful | Causing or capable of causing harm. The ozone layer blocks the harmful rays from the sun. |
| hurtful | Causing distress to someone’s feelings. His hurtful remarks. |
| ill | Presaging ill fortune P B Shelley. Ill from the monotony of his suffering. |
| inimical | Tending to obstruct or harm. An inimical critic. |
| injurious | Causing or likely to cause damage or harm. Food which is injurious to health. |
| malign | Having or exerting a malignant influence. Gave him a malign look. |
| malignant | Evil in nature or effect; malevolent. In the hands of malignant fate. |
| pernicious | Working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way. The pernicious influences of the mass media. |
| prejudicial | Causing harm or injury. The proposals were considered prejudicial to the city centre. |
| ruinous | Costing far more than can be afforded. A ruinous war. |
| undesirable | Not wanted or desirable because harmful, objectionable, or unpleasant. The drug s undesirable side effects. |
| unfavourable | Likely to lead to an adverse outcome. Unfavourable economic conditions. |
| unfortunate | Not indicating a good chance of success; inauspicious. Unfortunate investments. |
| bootless | Unproductive of success. Remonstrating with him seems ever to have been a bootless task. |
| dated | Marked by features of the immediate and usually discounted past. A dated expression. |
| fruitless | Unproductive of success. A fruitless search. |
| futile | Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. A futile attempt to keep fans from mounting the stage. |
| harmful | Causing or likely to cause harm. Harmful effects of smoking. |
| incapable | (followed by `of’) lacking capacity or ability. Incapable of carrying a tune. |
| incompetence | Inability of a part or organ to function properly. Allegations of professional incompetence. |
| incompetent | An incompetent person. A forgetful and utterly incompetent assistant. |
| ineffective | Not producing any significant or desired effect. The legal sanctions against oil spills are virtually ineffective. |
| ineffectual | (of a person) lacking the ability or qualities to fulfil a role or handle a situation. The therapy was ineffectual. |
| inept | Having or showing no skill; clumsy. The referee s inept handling of the match. |
| infertile | Incapable of reproducing. Infertile couples are offered specialist advice. |
| invalid | Having no cogency or legal force. She spent the rest of her life as an invalid. |
| noxious | Harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant. Noxious ideas. |
| nugatory | Of no real value. A nugatory and pointless observation. |
| pernicious | Exceedingly harmful. The pernicious influences of the mass media. |
| poisonous | Not safe to eat. A poisonous snake. |
| powerless | Lacking power. Troops were powerless to stop last night s shooting. |
| retreat | Make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity. A speedy retreat. |
| retrograde | Show retrograde motion. The glacier retrogrades. |
| retrogression | The process of returning to an earlier state, typically a worse one. A retrogression to 19th century attitudes. |
| unable | (usually followed by `to’) lacking necessary physical or mental ability. Dyslexics are unable to learn to read adequately. |
| unavailing | Achieving little or nothing; ineffective. Their efforts were unavailing. |
| unhealthy | Not conducive to good health. An unhealthy diet of fast foods. |
| unproductive | Not producing or capable of producing. Unproductive land must be reforested. |
| useless | Having no ability or skill in a specified activity or area. A kitchen full of useless gadgets. |
| vain | Unproductive of success. The vain hope of finding work. |
| virulence | Bitter hostility; rancour. The proportion of birds which die depends on the virulence of the virus. |
| wasteful | Laying waste- Shakespeare. When wasteful war shall statues overturn. |
| worthless | Having no real value or use. Joan had been deserted by a worthless husband. |
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