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

Inside the car, officers found a woman unresponsive suffering from gunshot wounds, Becchina said. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Nov. 2025

Police initially responded after someone reported an unresponsive person in the road. —Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 2025

Police found McCombs unresponsive on the bedroom floor, and parts of the door and lock to the apartment scattered in the entryway. —Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2025

The 20-year-old was arrested in connection with an outstanding warrant and spent at least 16 hours in police custody before being found unresponsive in his holding cell. —David Clarey, jsonline.com, 18 Nov. 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