unresponsive

adjective

un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv How to pronounce unresponsive (audio)
Synonyms of unresponsivenext
: 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
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.
Guards found Buchanan unresponsive in his cell at Kern Valley State Prison, said Terri Hardy, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Police arrived to find that two 17-year-old girls had been shot, including one who was unresponsive, Boisvert told news reporters at the scene. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026 Rescue divers pulled an unresponsive woman out of the water and began performing CPR. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 When investigators arrived, the victim was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in the driver's seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the rear of the right shoulder. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unresponsive

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unresponsive was in 1768

Rhymes for unresponsive

See All Rhymes for unresponsive

Browse Nearby Words

unresponsible
unresponsive
unrest
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Medical Definition

unresponsive

adjective
un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv How to pronounce unresponsive (audio)
: not responsive (as to a stimulus or treatment)
an unresponsive ulcer
unresponsiveness noun

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