— productively , adv. — productiveness , n. — productivity /proh'duk tiv"i tee/ , n.
/preuh duk"tiv/ , adj.
1. having the power of producing; generative; creative: a productive effort.
2. producing readily or abundantly; fertile: a productive vineyard.
3. causing; bringing about (usually fol. by of ): conditions productive of crime and sin.
4. Econ. producing or tending to produce goods and services having exchange value.
5. Gram. (of derivational affixes or patterns) readily used in forming new words, as the suffix -ness.
6. (in language learning) of or pertaining to the language skills of speaking and writing (opposed to receptive ).
[ 1605-15; productivus. See PRODUCT, -IVE ]
Syn. 2. fecund. PRODUCTIVE, FERTILE, FRUITFUL, PROLIFIC apply to the generative aspect of something. PRODUCTIVE refers to a generative source of continuing activity: productive soil; a productive influence. FERTILE applies to that in which seeds, literal or figurative, take root: fertile soil; a fertile imagination. FRUITFUL refers to that which has already produced and is capable of further production: fruitful soil, discovery, theory. PROLIFIC means highly productive: a prolific farm, writer.
Ant. 2. sterile.