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.
Ski area staff found Page unresponsive near the Upper Maple Slalom trail. Saleen Martin, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025 Police confirmed that emergency services found a woman unresponsive in her home near Perth, Western Australia, on Friday night. Angus Watson, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025 Police found the woman unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle around 3 a.m. on South Capitol Boulevard, just north of West Crescent Rim Drive, on April 15, according to the news release. Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 24 Apr. 2025 He was found unresponsive in the water and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report from NBC Miami. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 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 2 May. 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
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