unresponsive

adjective

un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

: not responsive

The patient was unresponsive.

an infection unresponsive to antibiotics

an unresponsive bureaucracy

Although they are able to locate their own food at two weeks of age, fledgling robins will still piteously beg handouts from their increasingly unresponsive father.

—Millard H. Sharp

unresponsively adverb

staring unresponsively

unresponsiveness noun

Examples of unresponsive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trachtenberg, who had been acting since age three, was found unresponsive in her New York City apartment, according to police. —Emily Longeretta, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025

Campbell was initially unresponsive to callouts, but eventually was detained, court record said. —Jack Date, ABC News, 26 Feb. 2025

Trachtenberg, 39, was found unresponsive by her mother in her apartment near Columbus Circle at 8 a.m. Her mother called 911, and EMS responded but declared Trachtenberg dead at the scene, police said. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2025

Four of the five boaters were unresponsive after CPR was administered. —Christina Shaw, Fox News, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unresponsive

• nonresponsive
• responsive

Medical Definition

unresponsive

adjective

un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

: not responsive (as to a stimulus or treatment)

an unresponsive ulcer

unresponsiveness noun