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desensitize
[ dee-sen-si-tahyz ]
/ diˈsɛn sɪˌtaɪz /
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verb (used with object), de·sen·si·tized, de·sen·si·tiz·ing.
to lessen the sensitiveness of.
to make indifferent, unaware, or the like, in feeling.
Photography. to make less sensitive or wholly insensitive to light, as the emulsion on a film.
Printing. to treat (the design on a lithographic plate) with an etch in order to increase the capacity to retain moisture, and to remove traces of grease.
Chemistry. to reduce the sensitivity of (an explosive) to those stimuli capable of detonating it.
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Also especially British, de·sen·si·tise .
OTHER WORDS FROM desensitize
de·sen·si·tiz·er, nounWords nearby desensitize
deseed, desegregate, desegregation, deselect, desensitization, desensitize, Deseret, deserpidine, desert, desert a sinking ship, Desert boot
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use desensitize in a sentence
Paradoxically, capsaicin desensitizes one to pain, but only after it’s been removed.
Spiciness isn’t a taste, and more burning facts about the mysterious sensation|Elana Spivack|September 24, 2021|Popular-ScienceOur noses get desensitized to an odor they’ve been smelling for a while, which can be a problem if you’re out tasting wine, or if your job requires you to have a distinctly acute nose.
Apply now to Date Lab He was excited about this opportunity because he feels “desensitized” by dating apps.
Date Lab: ‘The most interesting part of the date was when we talked about rating it’|Vijai Nathan|April 1, 2021|Washington Post
British Dictionary definitions for desensitize
desensitize
desensitise
/ (diːˈsɛnsɪˌtaɪz) /
verb (tr)
to render insensitive or less sensitivethe patient was desensitized to the allergen; to desensitize photographic film
psychol to decrease the abnormal fear in (a person) of a situation or object, by exposing him to it either in reality or in his imagination
Derived forms of desensitize
desensitization or desensitisation, noundesensitizer or desensitiser, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for desensitize
desensitize
[ dē-sĕn′sĭ-tīz′ ]
v.
To render insensitive or less sensitive, as a nerve or tooth.
To make an individual nonreactive or insensitive to an antigen.
To make a person emotionally insensitive or unresponsive, as by long exposure or repeated shocks.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.