desensitization
Americannoun
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the act or process of desensitizing.
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Physiology, Medicine/Medical. the elimination or reduction of natural or acquired reactivity or sensitivity to an external stimulus, as an allergen.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of desensitization
First recorded in 1920–25; desensitize + -ation
Vocabulary lists containing desensitization
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.
Dan then proposed a novel therapeutic intervention, a trauma-focused treatment called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Depression and desensitization are fueled by easy access to the most startling, graphic images one could imagine, all one click away.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 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
“I shall devise a squirrel desensitization program,” she thought.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
