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

In the morning, the foster mother found the girl unresponsive. — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026

The player reportedly suffered a catastrophic brain injury during the workout and has been described as unresponsive. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Officers searched the area and found Heberling unresponsive in a nearby fenced-in grassy area in the 1400 block of Askew Avenue. — Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Raman has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve services in a city known for filthy streets, gridlock and an unresponsive City Hall. — ABC News, 29 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