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

Six people were taken to the hospital, either by ambulance or private vehicle, and the unresponsive man was pronounced dead at the hospital. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025

The child later became unresponsive and was eventually transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025

The man in his 30s was found unresponsive after riding the coaster and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025

The man, identified by Florida’s Orange County Sheriff’s Office as Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, was found unresponsive after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 Sep. 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