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
Officials said the officer was initially unresponsive when his fellow officers arrived at the crash, but regained consciousness and was speaking with medics on scene, who took the officer to the hospital in stable condition.
—Mike Darnay, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
He was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home and pronounced dead at the scene.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Jan. 2026
An unresponsive passenger was extracted from the vehicle, and after receiving medical aid from officers, was pronounced dead at the scene.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
Jones, 34, was found unresponsive at the Fairmont Hotel after paramedics were called, according to a representative from the San Francisco Fire Department, who confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unresponsive
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Mike Darnay, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
He was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home and pronounced dead at the scene.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Jan. 2026
An unresponsive passenger was extracted from the vehicle, and after receiving medical aid from officers, was pronounced dead at the scene.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
Jones, 34, was found unresponsive at the Fairmont Hotel after paramedics were called, according to a representative from the San Francisco Fire Department, who confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unresponsive
Cite this Entry
“Unresponsive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unresponsive. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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
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