Definition

Not making any money or profit; not beneficial or useful.

Example

The company had to close down because it was unprofitable for several years.

Conversation

I heard that your startup is struggling a bit.

Yeah, it's been really unprofitable lately.

That's tough! What do you think went wrong?

I guess we didn't research the market enough before diving in.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Unprofitable → It is formed from "un-" (meaning not) and "profitable" (from Latin "profitabilis", meaning advantageous or beneficial). The word "unprofitable" means not advantageous or not yielding profit.

Memory Tip

Think of 'not' ('un-') being added to 'advantageous' ('profitabilis') — that's why unprofitable means something that does not bring benefits.

Visually Confused Words