desensitization

American  

[dee-sen-si-tuh-zay-shuhn] / diˌsɛn sɪ təˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of desensitizing.

2. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. the elimination or reduction of natural or acquired reactivity or sensitivity to an external stimulus, as an allergen.

3. Psychiatry. a behavior modification technique, used especially in treating phobias, in which panic or other undesirable emotional response to a given stimulus is reduced or extinguished, especially by repeated exposure to that stimulus.

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Etymology

Origin of desensitization

First recorded in 1920–25; desensitize + -ation

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

desensitization

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, is so mysterious that even its trained practitioners don’t fully understand how it works.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

She had tried traditional therapy, as well as interventions like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, where a patient is asked to recall traumatic events while experiencing auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli.

From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025

Short selling has become more challenging due to a buoyant stock market, increased litigation risk, and investor desensitization to risk.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2025

Over the last 50 years, our bureaucratic desensitization to incarceration has grown largely unchecked.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025

Yet her squirrel desensitization program did not instantly meet with success.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

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