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
Police found two unidentified girls unconscious and unresponsive on top of a J train.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Witnesses reported that the victim was unresponsive on the floor of the train.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Firefighters entered the apartment and found the teen unresponsive on the second floor of the apartment.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
Thursday, reporting an unresponsive infant with no pulse and no signs of breathing.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unresponsive
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.
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Witnesses reported that the victim was unresponsive on the floor of the train.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Firefighters entered the apartment and found the teen unresponsive on the second floor of the apartment.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
Thursday, reporting an unresponsive infant with no pulse and no signs of breathing.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unresponsive
Cite this Entry
“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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