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Prepositions after adjectives

Responsive to, in, as, for, or on?

Responsive is most commonly followed by to. Other prepositions may appear in specific sentence structures, but they are not standard fixed combinations.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct after responsive?

Use responsive to for reactions, needs, or changes. Responsive in can describe the area where someone reacts quickly. Responsive as, responsive for, and responsive on are generally not standard adjective-preposition combinations.

The app is highly responsive to user feedback.
She is very responsive in crisis situations.
The company became more responsive to customer complaints.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
responsive to + stimulus/need

Showing reaction or sensitivity

Use responsive to when someone or something reacts quickly or positively to something.

Children are often responsive to encouragement.
The software is responsive to touch commands.
2
responsive in + situation

Describing behaviour in a context

In can introduce the area or situation where responsiveness is shown.

The staff remained responsive in emergencies.
He is particularly responsive in online discussions.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
responsive to
The service is responsive to customer needs.
The standard pattern for reactions or sensitivity.
responsive in
Managers must be responsive in fast-changing markets.
In introduces the context where responsiveness appears.
responsive as
The phrase responsive as is not a standard combination.
Use responsive to instead in most cases.
responsive for
Responsive for is generally nonstandard.
Use responsible for for duties, or responsive to for reactions.
responsive on
Responsive on is not an idiomatic fixed pattern.
On may appear separately in a sentence but not as the usual complement of responsive.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using responsive for instead of responsive to

Responsive describes reactions, so use to.

✕ The team is responsive for customer requests. ✓ The team is responsive to customer requests.

Using responsive on as a fixed phrase

On does not normally follow responsive directly.

✕ The website is responsive on user input. ✓ The website is responsive to user input.

Confusing responsive and responsible

Responsive means reacting quickly; responsible means having duties.

✕ She is responsive for hiring. ✓ She is responsible for hiring.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The nurse was very responsive ___ patient concerns.
2. Good leaders stay responsive ___ difficult situations.
3. Which phrase is standard English?

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Frequently asked questions

Is responsive to always correct?

It is the standard pattern when describing reactions, sensitivity, or quick responses.

Can I use responsive in?

Yes, when in introduces a context such as a situation or field.

Why is responsive for incorrect?

English uses responsible for for duties and responsive to for reactions.

racist-in-against-for-to, towards "radical in" or "radical for"? rampant in, among, with, on or throughout? "rare in" or "rare for"? "rational for" or "rational in"? "raw in", "raw for" or "raw with"? reachable by, from, on, in or through? "reactive to", "reactive rather" or "reactive in"? ready for, to, in, at or by? "realistic about" or "realistic in"? "real to", "real for" or "real in"? rearing of, as or on?

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