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

Upon their arrival, Noor, Farhana and Kiran were found unresponsive and received CPR, officials said. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025

Laken Snelling, 21, was taken into custody on Sunday after officers with the Lexington Police Department responded to an unresponsive infant, according to officials. —Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025

During meetings, his attorneys said, Brown would be completely unresponsive and keep his head down. —Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025

Paramedics were already at the scene when officers arrived, Gonzalez said, and advised officers that an unresponsive man was inside an apartment. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025

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