responsive

adjective

re·​spon·​sive ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

1

: giving response : constituting a response : answering

a responsive glance

responsive aggression

2

: quick to respond or react appropriately or sympathetically : sensitive

3

: using responses

a responsive liturgy

responsively adverb

responsiveness noun

Did you know?

Responsive comes from the joining of Latin responsus with the suffix -ivus, which gave English -ive. That suffix changes verbs into adjectives, as in suggestive or corrosive. Responsus is a form of respondēre, which means "to answer" and is the source of English's respond. Responsive enters the language with the meaning "giving response" or "answering." Examples are "a responsive letter" or "a responsive glance." Nowadays, it variously describes people or things that immediately respond or react to something, such as "a responsive audience" or "a car with responsive steering."

Examples of responsive in a Sentence

The patient was not responsive to the treatment.

The store is very responsive to the needs of its customers.

Recent Examples on the Web

The team is reachable via text or WhatsApp, responsive and warm, happy to arrange a boat or send a buggy when the walk down to the beach feels ambitious. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026

On ConsumerAffairs, multiple customers complained that customer service has not been very responsive to their concerns about canceling subscriptions and requesting refunds. —Rebecca Strong, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026

The goal of attachment parenting is to create a safe, responsive environment where your baby or child feels loved, understood, and secure, says Weill—and ideally forms a secure attachment to their caregiver. —Sherri Gordon, Parents, 22 Feb. 2026

Cryptocurrency prices are famously volatile and, indeed, responsive to policy choices. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 22 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing responsive

• hyper-responsive

Rhymes for responsive

• nonresponsive
• unresponsive

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Kids Definition

responsive

adjective

re·​spon·​sive ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

1

: giving response : being an answer

a responsive smile

2

: quick to respond or react sympathetically : sensitive

responsive to the needs of the poor

responsively adverb

responsiveness noun

Medical Definition

responsive

adjective

re·​spon·​sive ri-ˈspän(t)-siv 

: making a response

especially : responding to treatment

pain responsive to opioids