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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An 82-year-old man who died after he was found unresponsive in his San Diego Central Jail cell earlier this week was identified Friday. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025 Loving's daughter, Izabella Loving, was found unresponsive after deputies with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Cold Springs, Nev., home on the morning of April 3, PEOPLE previously reported, citing a press statement. Nicole Acosta, People.com, 30 July 2025 Trigg was found unresponsive in the couple's backyard pool in Chandler, Arizona, according to fire department officials. Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2025 The driver of the Jeep, 19-year-old Reed Robert Schultz, and passenger 18-year-old Finnian Thomas Cronin were found unresponsive. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 25 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for unresponsive

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unresponsive was in 1768

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!