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
Millard H. Sharp
unresponsively
adverb
staring unresponsively
unresponsiveness
noun
Examples of unresponsive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man, whose name was not released, was found unresponsive by a BART officer patrolling a train car about 8 p.m. at the Walnut Creek station, the transit agency said.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
After returning home having not been evaluated, Trey went to sleep and was found unresponsive.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
It was not immediately known how the child died, but WKRN-TV reported court records show Carson was found unresponsive at the couple's home before officials pronounced him dead.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The personal assistant of former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis called 911 to report that a woman inside the home found the former Dolphins player on the ground unresponsive in the gym area, according to emergency calls obtained by the Miami Herald.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Authorities arrived to find the car had crashed into a fence and the driver was unresponsive.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
One graphic scene shows civilians performing CPR on several unresponsive bodies in a desperate attempt to resuscitate them.
—Abdelqadder Sabbah, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
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
Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
After returning home having not been evaluated, Trey went to sleep and was found unresponsive.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
It was not immediately known how the child died, but WKRN-TV reported court records show Carson was found unresponsive at the couple's home before officials pronounced him dead.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The personal assistant of former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis called 911 to report that a woman inside the home found the former Dolphins player on the ground unresponsive in the gym area, according to emergency calls obtained by the Miami Herald.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Authorities arrived to find the car had crashed into a fence and the driver was unresponsive.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
One graphic scene shows civilians performing CPR on several unresponsive bodies in a desperate attempt to resuscitate them.
—Abdelqadder Sabbah, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near unresponsive
Cite this Entry
“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share