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
Chicago police said a witness found the 46-year-old unresponsive on the floor of a home in the 10100 block of South State Street.
—Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
First responders were called to Buskey’s home on April 14, 2024, for an unresponsive child.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Police were called to a home in the 700 block of Pacific Avenue on the report of an unresponsive juvenile, according to a KCK police news release.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
In the backyard, responding officers found the woman and child, both unresponsive and having suffered apparent gunshot wounds.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unresponsive
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.
Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
First responders were called to Buskey’s home on April 14, 2024, for an unresponsive child.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Police were called to a home in the 700 block of Pacific Avenue on the report of an unresponsive juvenile, according to a KCK police news release.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2026
In the backyard, responding officers found the woman and child, both unresponsive and having suffered apparent gunshot wounds.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 25 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 1 Feb. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
