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

The inmate, a 59-year-old man who has not been publicly identified, was found unresponsive in his housing area Monday afternoon, according to a news release from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2026

But soon after that, Jeremy Tussey said in a March 3 video message on his wife’s TikTok channel, Rachel became unresponsive after a nurse administered pain medication. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026

On arrival, officers could see through a window that there were two adults who appeared to be unresponsive. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026

Officers entered the unit and found a man and a woman unresponsive, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee updated March 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Mar. 2026

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