Uneconomical

Uneconomical describes something that is wasteful or inefficient in its use of resources, money, or time. It implies a lack of financial prudence, resulting in a higher cost than necessary for a given outcome. This can apply to various scenarios, from personal spending habits to large-scale industrial processes. The term often suggests a failure to maximize value or minimize expenditure, leading to a squandering of resources. An uneconomical approach can negatively impact profitability, sustainability, and overall efficiency.

Uneconomical meaning with examples

• The outdated furnace, consuming excessive fuel to heat the small house, proved to be highly uneconomical. Replacing it with a more energy-efficient model would significantly lower their monthly bills and be a better environmental choice in the long term. It was a costly expense that the homeowners had to shoulder to avoid further wasting of money.
• Running the company's fleet of aging delivery vans was becoming increasingly uneconomical, with rising maintenance costs and poor fuel efficiency. Switching to newer, hybrid vehicles, though initially expensive, will result in reduced operational costs and a lower carbon footprint over the lifespan of the cars, saving the company money long term.
• Using hand-drawn blueprints instead of computer-aided design (CAD) for this construction project is demonstrably uneconomical. The time spent on manual drafting translates to higher labor costs, and leaves the company with less time for other endeavors, increasing the overall costs of production. This is a costly inefficiency.
• She found that taking multiple short taxi rides throughout the city, instead of using public transit, was proving uneconomical for her daily commute. Each trip cost was an additional expense and the end of the week brought with it a steep fare, and so she decided to start taking the bus, instead.