# unprofitably

**Pronunciation:** ʌnˈprɒfɪtəbli · un-PROF-it-uh-blee

**CEFR level:** C1

**Part of speech:** adverb

## Meaning

In a manner that fails to yield financial gain or produce a useful result.

## Examples

- The factory continued to run unprofitably for three quarters before the board finally decided to shut it down.
- They invested their savings unprofitably in a failing startup that never gained any market traction.
- Spending hours on tasks that do not contribute to your goals is working unprofitably.

## Synonyms

- badly — A very general term for poor performance.
- poorly — Indicates a lack of success or quality.
- unproductively — Focuses on the lack of output or efficiency.
- inefficiently — Emphasizes wasting resources or time.
- unremuneratively — Highly formal; specifically refers to a lack of financial reward.

## Antonyms

- profitably — The direct opposite; yielding financial gain.
- lucratively — Emphasizes high financial gain.

## Collocations

- operate unprofitably — The small bookstore continued to operate unprofitably for several years.
- invest unprofitably — He realized too late that he had invested unprofitably in the project.
- run unprofitably — The division has been running unprofitably since the market shift.

Canonical URL: https://anaversity.com/dictionary/english/unprofitably

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