desensitize

[ dee-sen-si-tahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, de·sen·si·tized, de·sen·si·tiz·ing.

1. to lessen the sensitiveness of.
2. to make indifferent, unaware, or the like, in feeling.
3. Photography. to make less sensitive or wholly insensitive to light, as the emulsion on a film.
4. 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.
5. Chemistry. to reduce the sensitivity of (an explosive) to those stimuli capable of detonating it.

desensitize

/ diːˈsɛnsɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to render insensitive or less sensitive

   to desensitize photographic film

   the patient was desensitized to the allergen

2. 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

• deˌsensitiˈzation, noun
• deˈsensiˌtizer, noun

Other Words From

• de·sensi·tizer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of desensitize¹

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + sensitize

Example Sentences

Once they’re comfortable there, the keepers begin desensitizing them to the poke, giving them treats while they tap them first with a popsicle stick, then a dull needle, and finally an injection.

From Popular-Science

It is gratuitously violent, and these images have the potential to desensitize people to violence.

From Washington Post

Paradoxically, capsaicin desensitizes one to pain, but only after it’s been removed.

From Popular-Science

Our 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.

From Popular-Science

Apply now to Date Lab He was excited about this opportunity because he feels “desensitized” by dating apps.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• deaden