unresponsive

adjective

un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv How to pronounce unresponsive (audio)
: 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 When officers and paramedics arrived, Andres Dominguez was found unresponsive in the driver’s seat, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body. Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024 The caller told police a man was shot and unresponsive. Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024 Logan Perkins, 24, was found shot and unresponsive on Feb. 29 at his apartment in the 3100 block of La Junta Street, according to police. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024 On the morning of May 24, 2022, Sheila received a panicked call that Heather was unresponsive. Kunle Falayi, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024 Officers with the department were dispatched to a residence on Kansas Avenue at 5:25 p.m. on March 5, for reports of an unresponsive child. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2024 Police on the island of Grand Bahama were told Monday the woman was found unresponsive in her cabin on an unidentified cruise line en route to the nation in the West Indies, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. Alex Sundby, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2024 The counselor said staff checked on him twice before discovering him unresponsive at 7:45 a.m. with his pants and underwear lying next to his shoulder, search warrants stated. Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024 The 32-year-old man was arrested by the Royal Bahamas Police Force after a passenger was found unresponsive while their ship was on the island of Grand Bahama. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unresponsive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unresponsive was in 1768

Dictionary Entries Near unresponsive

Cite this Entry

“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

unresponsive

adjective
un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv How to pronounce unresponsive (audio)
: not responsive (as to a stimulus or treatment)
an unresponsive ulcer
unresponsiveness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on unresponsive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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