unresponsive
Britishadjective
Explanation
If someone can't or won't respond, we call them unresponsive. Depending on the context, a person's unresponsiveness can be just a bummer or a life-threatening condition. Take this word piece by piece. Un- means "not," as usual. A response is a reaction to something. And -ive is a suffix that means "state of being." Taken together, these parts add up to "the state of being not responsive." When your boyfriend just sits and stares rather than talking about what's bothering him, he's being unresponsive. Medically speaking, when a person is called unresponsive, it means they're at least unconscious, and possibly dead or dying.
Vocabulary lists containing unresponsive
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Secret Garden
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Officers responded to an emergency call in Manhattan and found the woman unconscious and unresponsive down the manhole just before midnight on Monday.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
The 56-year-old woman was found unresponsive and unconscious inside an uncovered manhole around 11:20 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
The member of the public called for an ambulance himself and, along with Matabiswana's girlfriend, administered first aid to an unresponsive Harden.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Erik Fleming became the fourth of five people to be sentenced in connection with the death of the Canadian star, who was found unresponsive in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home in 2023.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Bewildered, I stood stupidly until Elodin came over and shook my unresponsive hand.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
