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
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
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.
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
Cite this Entry
“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 3 May. 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