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

Authorities confirmed that an individual was found unresponsive in their cell just before 6 a.m. Tuesday and later pronounced dead, prompting an ongoing investigation led by Madison Police. —Bethany Brown, People.com, 9 May 2025

He was found unresponsive by authorities and was later declared dead. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 9 May 2025

His friend, Eric Ripert, found Bourdain unresponsive in his hotel room. —Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

Manzano was found unresponsive in his Comfort Suites hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, on Feb. 5. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 5 May 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