desensitize

American  

[dee-sen-si-tahyz] / diˈsɛn sɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, desensitise

verb (used with object)

desensitized, desensitizing

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.

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desensitize British  

/ diːˈsɛnsɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to render insensitive or less sensitive

   the patient was desensitized to the allergen

   to desensitize photographic film

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

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Other Word Forms

• desensitization noun
• desensitizer noun

Etymology

Origin of desensitize

First recorded in 1900–05; de- + sensitize

Example Sentences

“They’re desensitized—it is L.A.,” she explained—but noted that she gets a much more amusing response from those she has to chase down for repairs or other projects.

From MarketWatch

Fuchs hopes viewers also recognize the ways that fear desensitizes Derry townsfolk to the horrors in their midst.

From Salon

With true crime’s popularity dramatically increasing over the last 15 years, audiences have become increasingly desensitized.

From Salon

Investors have become desensitized to risk as the 2008-09 financial crisis fades from memory, Block believes.

From Barron's

Dains, who previously held top shelter jobs in San José and Long Beach, said her employees were desensitized to the suffering of the animals after witnessing it day after day.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deaden