responsiveness
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being responsive.
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Machinery. the ability of a machine or system to adjust quickly to suddenly altered external conditions, as of speed, load, or temperature, and to resume stable operation without undue delay.
Etymology
Origin of responsiveness
First recorded in 1840–50; responsive + -ness
Explanation
Responsiveness means "being able to react quickly," like a sports car whose responsiveness makes it fun to drive, or a "responding with emotion," like the responsiveness of an audience at the concert of their all-time favorite singer. Have you ever wondered if your friends were even listening while you poured your heart out? Think about their responsiveness, or how focused they were on your feelings and their own. Did their eyes well up when you started to cry? Or did they stare into space, waiting until you were finished so that they could talk? Responsiveness is a characteristic that shows how much someone cares.
Vocabulary lists containing responsiveness
Ten Most Relevant Words: The Great Gatsby, Chapter 1
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The Top 20 Relevant Words from the Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate, Dec. 19, 2015
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"The MGMT Solution," Vocabulary from Chapter 18
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that democracy, including responsiveness to citizens, was in the interest both of Africans and the United States.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Demand responsiveness differs with oil products used for transportation because, as it stands, there are no alternatives that could replace oil products like gasoline or diesel at the moment.
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026
Not intelligence, not behavior, not responsiveness, but the existence of an inner life: sensations, feelings, perceptions, thoughts — however minimal — that are experienced by someone.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
She began to regain responsiveness in the evening and was finally able to get out of bed again by 22:00, 13 hours after she took the medication.
From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025
More than anything else, it was the lack of concern and responsiveness by police, prosecutors, and victims' services providers that devastated Mozelle and Onzelle.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
