Used and loved by millions

Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

MitStanfordHarvardAustralian Nationa UniversityNanyangOxford

lack of profitable

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "lack of profitable" is not correct in English.
It should be "lack of profitability" or "lack of profit." You can use it when discussing the absence of financial gain or success in a business context. Example: "The company faced a lack of profitability due to increased competition and rising costs."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

After years of struggling to stay on PBS amid a lack of profitable revenues, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the Emmy-winning program, announced it had struck a deal with HBO to move the show over to the premium cable network.

Low interest rates have also played their part in keeping profits high, by reducing borrowing costs and by encouraging companies to use their spare cash to buy back stock, thereby increasing earnings per share.However, buying back shares suggests a certain lack of imagination on the part of chief executives, or a lack of profitable projects to back.

News & Media

The Economist

Within the health technology sector, neglected disease R&D suffers from a lack of profitable markets.

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

The profit motive might explain Grant's ugliness, but it left another question unanswered: Why was that particular form of ugliness — Cuomo summed it up as "divisiveness, scapegoating, name-calling, shouting, callousness, lack of civility" — profitable?

News & Media

The New Yorker

This would be tantamount to a European New Deal.One might counter that the EIB may simply be unable or unwilling to conjure up 'shovel-ready' projects to the tune of €300 billion annually, both because it is worried about its creditworthiness and due to a lack of potentially profitable projects.

News & Media

The Economist

Poor critical reception and lack of a profitable marketing strategy made this game one of many cited decisions that led Atari to report a $536 million loss in 1983 and led to the company being divided and sold in 1984.

The lack of profits and puny revenue growth haven't stopped Linux from negatively impacting larger, more established, profitable companies.

News & Media

Forbes

Unlike London, his city lacks the breadth of profitable companies that encourages speculative investment by telecoms firms.

News & Media

The Guardian

Separately, New York Water Taxi will restart East River ferry service from Pier 11 and 34th Street to Long Island City and South Williamsburg, which it had suspended over the winter because of the lack of the more profitable tourist traffic.

News & Media

The New York Times

Or will it simply be the next overhyped share sale to make its founders rich only to wither away miserably, either for lack of a sustainably profitable business model, or, like Netscape, because it finds itself in the path of that mighty wrecker, Microsoft?The search for profitsGoogle, naturally, is determined to avoid Netscape's fate at all costs.

News & Media

The Economist

Markets might have treated this as evidence of a lack of imagination, or a paucity of profitable projects.

News & Media

The Economist
Show more...

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing financial matters, use grammatically sound phrases like "lack of profitability" or "absence of profit" for clear and professional communication.

Common error

Avoid using adjectives where nouns are required. Instead of saying "lack of profitable", which is grammatically awkward, opt for "lack of profitability" or "absence of profit" to ensure clarity and correctness.

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

85%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "lack of profitable" functions as a noun phrase, where "lack of" indicates a deficiency and "profitable" attempts to describe what is missing. However, the correct form requires a noun, such as "profitability," making the phrase grammatically flawed. Ludwig AI points out this grammatical error.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "lack of profitable" is grammatically incorrect because it misuses the adjective "profitable" where a noun like "profitability" is required. As Ludwig AI indicates, the proper phrasing is "lack of profitability" or alternatives like "absence of profit". While examples of the phrase can be found in news, science, and wiki sources, this does not validate its grammatical correctness. For professional and clear communication, it is best to use grammatically sound alternatives.

FAQs

What's a grammatically correct way to express a lack of financial gain?

Instead of the grammatically awkward "lack of profitable", use phrases like "lack of profitability" or "absence of profit".

What can I say instead of "lack of profitable"?

Alternatives include "unprofitable", "non-profitable", or "shortfall in profits" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "lack of profitable"?

No, "lack of profitable" is not grammatically correct. The proper phrasing is "lack of profitability" which uses a noun instead of an adjective after "lack of".

How do I use "lack of profitability" in a sentence?

Example: "The company's lack of profitability forced them to restructure their operations." or "The project suffered from a lack of profitability due to high costs.".

ChatGPT power + Grammarly precisionChatGPT power + Grammarly precision
ChatGPT + Grammarly

Editing plus AI, all in one place.

Stop switching between tools. Your AI writing partner for everything—polishing proposals, crafting emails, finding the right tone.

Source & Trust

85%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: