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

Ormsby was found unresponsive in the backyard, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026

When crews got to his location, he was found unresponsive and declared dead, according to the sheriff's office. — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach called 911 the afternoon of August 16 to say Panettiere was unresponsive, according to a Greenville police incident report. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

The late star's boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, called 911 after finding the actress unresponsive, according to a police report obtained by Fox News Digital. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 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