unresponsive

adjective

un·​re·​spon·​sive ˌən-ri-ˈspän(t)-siv How to pronounce unresponsive (audio)
: 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.
Medical staff were called to assist, but upon their arrival, the man was no longer breathing and remained unresponsive, the sheriff's office said. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2024 As if a world so placid and unresponsive could excite only the opposite sensations in him. Greg Jackson, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024 Instead, in November 2022, her husband found her in bed unresponsive, ProPublica reported. Kathryn Varn, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024 The 10-year-old girl — whose name has not been released — was unresponsive when police arrived. Emily Palmer, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near unresponsive

Cite this Entry

“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on unresponsive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!