responsive
A responsive person or thing reacts quickly and effectively to what is happening around them.
Explanation at your level:
Being responsive means you answer quickly. If you ask a friend a question and they answer right away, they are responsive. It is a good way to be!
When you are responsive, you react well to things. For example, if a teacher asks a question and you raise your hand, you are being responsive. It means you are paying attention and ready to help or answer.
In B1, we use responsive to talk about people who are helpful and systems that work well. A responsive person listens to your ideas and changes their plans if needed. A responsive website changes its layout so you can read it on your phone easily.
At this level, responsive often describes professional behavior. You might describe a 'responsive customer service team' that solves problems fast. It suggests a high level of efficiency and emotional intelligence in communication.
In advanced English, responsive can describe abstract concepts like an organism's reaction to stimuli or a market's reaction to economic shifts. It implies a sophisticated level of interaction where the subject is not just reacting, but adapting to the environment in a meaningful way.
At the C2 level, we look at the nuance of responsiveness as a trait of character or system architecture. It suggests a proactive rather than passive state of being. It is the hallmark of a system or person that is 'in tune' with its surroundings, capable of nuanced adjustments that maintain harmony or efficiency.
30秒でわかる単語
- Responsive means reacting quickly and effectively.
- It is commonly used to describe people, websites, and systems.
- Always use the preposition 'to' after it.
- It is a positive trait in both personal and professional life.
Hey there! Think of the word responsive as the opposite of being slow or ignoring things. When someone is responsive, they are like a good listener who jumps into action when you need them.
In the world of technology, you might hear about a responsive website. This just means the site is smart enough to change its shape to look great on your phone, tablet, or big computer screen. It is 'reacting' to the size of your device!
Essentially, being responsive is all about connection. Whether it is a person responding to a text message or a car responding to the steering wheel, it is about how well one thing answers to the needs of another.
The word responsive has a pretty cool history that goes way back to Latin. It comes from the Latin word respondere, which means 'to promise in return' or 'to answer'.
Over time, it evolved through Old French before landing in English during the 14th century. The suffix -ive was added to show that something has the tendency or ability to perform that action. So, if you are 'responsive', you have the inherent ability to 'answer' or 'react'.
It is fascinating how this word started as a way to describe answering a question and grew to describe everything from a person's mood to how a high-tech computer screen behaves. It is a classic example of how language grows to fit our modern needs!
You will see responsive used in both professional and casual settings. In business, you might hear, 'We need to be more responsive to our customer feedback.' This shows that the company cares about what people think.
In a more casual sense, you could say, 'My dog is very responsive to voice commands.' This means the dog listens and acts when you speak.
Common collocations include highly responsive, fully responsive, and responsive design. Use it whenever you want to highlight that someone or something is attentive, alert, and quick to act.
While 'responsive' itself isn't usually the core of an idiom, it fits into phrases about communication:
- Quick on the uptake: Means being responsive and understanding something fast.
- At one's beck and call: Being so responsive that you are always ready to serve.
- In the loop: Being responsive because you are well-informed.
- On the ball: Being alert and responsive to what is happening.
- Jump to it: A command to be immediately responsive to a request.
Responsive is an adjective, so it describes nouns. It follows the standard pattern: The responsive student or The system is responsive.
For pronunciation, focus on the stress on the second syllable: re-SPON-sive. In IPA, it is /rɪˈspɒnsɪv/ (UK) and /rɪˈspɑːnsɪv/ (US). It rhymes with words like conducive, pensive (mostly), and expensive.
Remember, it does not have a plural form because it is an adjective. You can use modifiers like very, extremely, or quite to change the intensity of the word.
Fun Fact
It shares a root with 'sponsor', someone who promises to support you.
Pronunciation Guide
Starts with 'ri', then 'spon' like sponge, then 'siv'.
Starts with 'ri', then 'spahn' like spawn, then 'siv'.
Common Errors
- Mixing up the 's' and 'z' sounds
- Stress on the wrong syllable
- Dropping the final 'v'
Rhymes With
Difficulty Rating
Common word in professional and tech contexts.
Useful for business emails.
Easy to pronounce.
Clear sounds.
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
上級
Grammar to Know
Adjective + Preposition
Responsive to
Subject Complements
The system is responsive
Intensifiers
Very responsive
Examples by Level
The dog is responsive to my call.
dog / listens / when / I call
adjective describing the dog
She is a responsive teacher.
teacher / answers / fast
adjective modifying a noun
The baby is responsive.
baby / reacts / to / sounds
simple subject complement
Are you responsive today?
are / you / listening / well
question form
He is very responsive.
he / reacts / quickly
intensifier 'very'
The app is responsive.
app / works / on / phones
describing technology
They are responsive friends.
friends / who / listen
plural noun phrase
Be responsive to help.
listen / to / advice
imperative sentence
The team was responsive to our needs.
Is the website responsive on mobile?
He is always responsive to my emails.
The car is very responsive to the brakes.
She is a responsive and kind listener.
The plant is responsive to sunlight.
They need a more responsive manager.
The market is responsive to changes.
The software is highly responsive to user input.
We appreciate your responsive approach to the crisis.
A responsive government listens to its citizens.
The steering is responsive even at high speeds.
He is remarkably responsive to constructive criticism.
The skin is responsive to touch.
Is your team responsive to new ideas?
The system is designed to be fully responsive.
The company prides itself on being a responsive partner.
The economy is becoming more responsive to global trends.
She gave a responsive answer to the difficult question.
The architecture is responsive to the local climate.
We need a responsive strategy for this project.
The patient was responsive to the new treatment.
Her responsive nature makes her a great leader.
The interface is smooth and very responsive.
The organism is highly responsive to environmental stimuli.
The policy was a responsive measure to public outcry.
The artist's work is deeply responsive to the era's politics.
A truly responsive design considers the user's context.
The committee was responsive to the last-minute changes.
His prose is responsive to the nuances of the dialect.
The sensor is responsive to even the slightest vibration.
The institution is not sufficiently responsive to innovation.
The city's infrastructure must be responsive to rapid urbanization.
The legislative body was remarkably responsive to the grassroots movement.
The responsive capacity of the immune system is vital.
The poet's rhythm is responsive to the emotional shifts in the text.
The firm's success stems from its responsive management style.
The ecosystem is highly responsive to subtle climate variations.
The legal system is often slow to be responsive to social change.
The software's responsive architecture allows for seamless scaling.
よく使う組み合わせ
Idioms & Expressions
"on the ball"
alert and responsive
You need to be on the ball today.
casual"at the drop of a hat"
ready to act immediately
He is ready to leave at the drop of a hat.
casual"keep an ear to the ground"
staying responsive to news
Keep an ear to the ground for updates.
neutral"quick off the mark"
fast to react
He was quick off the mark to solve the bug.
casual"spring into action"
become suddenly responsive
They sprang into action when the alarm rang.
neutralEasily Confused
similar spelling
responsible = in charge; responsive = reacts
He is responsible for the project and is responsive to my emails.
similar sound
receptive = open to ideas; responsive = acts
He was receptive to the plan and responsive to my questions.
similar meaning
reactive = often negative; responsive = positive
Don't just be reactive; be responsive.
similar context
sensitive = detects; responsive = acts
The sensor is sensitive to heat and responsive to touch.
Sentence Patterns
Subject + is + responsive + to + Noun
The system is responsive to users.
Subject + remains + responsive + to + Noun
He remains responsive to feedback.
Adverb + responsive + Noun
A highly responsive design.
Subject + became + responsive + to + Noun
The market became responsive to the news.
It is + adjective + to be + responsive
It is important to be responsive.
語族
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
関連
How to Use It
8
Formality Scale
よくある間違い
Responsive implies movement or change.
Responsible means in charge; responsive means reacting.
The correct preposition is 'to'.
Responsive is an adjective.
A system can be responsive to bad input too.
Tips
In the Office
Use it to praise colleagues who answer emails fast.
The 'To' Rule
Always follow it with 'to'.
Contextual Learning
Look for 'responsive design' articles.
Latin Roots
It comes from 'respondere'.
Don't say 'responsive for'
It's always 'responsive to'.
Stress the Middle
re-SPON-sive.
Customer Service
It's a buzzword in business.
The 'R' Trick
R for Reacting.
Use it in writing
Add it to your professional emails.
Clear Vowels
Make the 'siv' sound crisp.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
RE-SPON-SIVE: RE-act, SPON-taneously, IVE-ly.
Visual Association
A rubber band that stretches back immediately when pulled.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Try to be responsive to every email you get today for one hour.
語源
Latin
Original meaning: To answer or promise back
文化的な背景
None
Highly valued in business and customer service culture.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
at work
- responsive team
- responsive communication
- stay responsive
web design
- responsive layout
- responsive mobile view
- fully responsive
customer service
- responsive support
- highly responsive
- customer-responsive
education
- responsive teacher
- responsive learning
- responsive feedback
Conversation Starters
"Do you think you are a responsive person?"
"Why is it important for companies to be responsive?"
"How does a responsive website help you?"
"Can you name a time someone was very responsive to you?"
"Is it better to be responsive or proactive?"
Journal Prompts
Describe a time when being responsive helped you solve a problem.
Why do you think responsiveness is valued in modern society?
Write about a tool or app that is very responsive.
How can you improve your own responsiveness in daily life?
よくある質問
8 問No, responsible means you are in charge of something.
Yes, it means it reacts to inputs.
Use 'Subject + is + responsive + to + object'.
It is used in both formal and informal contexts.
Unresponsive.
It means quick to react, which is often fast.
Yes, that is a common collocation.
Yes, to describe how organisms react to stimuli.
自分をテスト
The dog is ___ to my voice.
Responsive means it reacts to the voice.
Which sentence is correct?
The correct preposition is 'to'.
A responsive website works well on phones.
Yes, responsive design adapts to screen sizes.
Word
意味
Matching definitions.
The team is very responsive.
スコア： /5
Summary
To be responsive is to be an active, helpful participant in your environment.
- Responsive means reacting quickly and effectively.
- It is commonly used to describe people, websites, and systems.
- Always use the preposition 'to' after it.
- It is a positive trait in both personal and professional life.
In the Office
Use it to praise colleagues who answer emails fast.
The 'To' Rule
Always follow it with 'to'.
Contextual Learning
Look for 'responsive design' articles.
Latin Roots
It comes from 'respondere'.
例文
The new smartphone has an incredibly responsive screen that registers even the lightest touch.
Related Content
Communicationの関連語
perceive
C1感覚を通して何かを認識したり、状況を理解したりすること。
offer
A1相手に物や助けを提案して、受け取るかどうか選んでもらうことです。親切心から何かを差し出す時に使います。
malducsion
C1意図的に人を誤った結論や危険な状況へと導くこと。
colucment
C1To illuminate several aspects of a complex subject or problem simultaneously in order to clarify the whole. This verb describes the act of bringing disparate ideas together into a clear, bright perspective for easier understanding.
aah
A1ほっとしたり、満足したり、喜んだりした時に出す声です。痛い時や驚いた時に使うこともあります。
credible
B2情報や証言などが信頼できること。根拠や論理に基づいて、信じるに値すると判断できる状態を指すよ。
however
B1前の内容とは反対または矛盾する事柄を導入するときに使います。「しかし」という意味です。
overclaror
C1概念や状況を過剰に細かく説明しすぎて、かえって混乱させたり相手を馬鹿にしているように感じさせること。
realize
A1物事をはっきりと理解したり、事実を認識したりすることです。また、夢や目標を現実にすることを指すこともあります。
articulate
C1To express thoughts, feelings, or ideas clearly and effectively in speech or writing. It involves the ability to put complex concepts into coherent words so that others can understand them easily.
