Dictionary
desensitize
verb de·sen·si·tize \(ˌ)dē-ˈsen(t)-sə-ˌtīz\
: to cause (someone or something) to react less to or be less affected by something : to cause (someone or something) to be less sensitive
Full Definition of DESENSITIZE
transitive verb
1
: to make (a sensitized or hypersensitive individual) insensitive or nonreactive to a sensitizing agent
2
: to make emotionally insensitive or callous; specifically : to extinguish an emotional response (as of fear, anxiety, or guilt) to stimuli that formerly induced it
— de·sen·si·ti·za·tion \(ˌ)dē-ˌsen(t)-sə-tə-ˈzā-shən\ noun
— de·sen·si·tiz·er \(ˌ)dē-ˈsen-sə-ˌtī-zər\ noun
See desensitize defined for English-language learners
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First Known Use of DESENSITIZE
1898
Rhymes with DESENSITIZE
accessorize, acclimatize, actualize, aerobicize, aestheticize, Africanize, allegorize, alphabetize, analogize, anatomize, anesthetize, animalize, annualize, antagonize, anthologize, anticlockwise, apologize, apostatize, apostrophize, arabicize, aromatize, automatize, bureaucratize, cannibalize, capitalize, categorize, catheterize, catholicize, characterize, collectivize, commercialize, commoditize, communalize, computerize, conservatize, containerize, contrariwise, conveyorize, cosmeticize, counterclockwise, criminalize, cross-fertilize, cut down to size, decentralize, decolonize, de-emphasize, de-energize, defeminize, deformalize, deglamorize, dehumanize, deionize, demagnetize, demobilize, democratize, demoralize, denationalize, deodorize, depersonalize, depolarize, depressurize, destabilize, destigmatize, detribalize, devitalize, diabolize, digitalize, disenfranchise, disorganize, economize, emblematize, emotionalize, epitomize, epoxidize, eroticize, eternalize, evangelize, extemporize, externalize, familiarize, fanaticize, fictionalize, floor exercise, fool's paradise, formularize, free enterprise, gelatinize, generalize, geologize, Hispanicize, historicize, homogenize, hospitalize, hypothesize, idealize, illegalize, immobilize, immortalize, impersonalize, Indianize, indigenize, infantilize, initialize, internalize, italicize, legitimize, liberalize, literalize, lobotomize, lysogenize, macadamize, marginalize, metabolize, metastasize, militarize, mineralize, monopolize, mythologize, nationalize, naturalize, parenthesize, philosophize, poeticize, politicize, popularize, prioritize, proselytize, radicalize, reorganize, revitalize, ritualize, romanticize, secularize, self-fertilize, sensualize, sexualize, sovietize, subjectivize, suburbanize, subvocalize, systematize, temporalize, theologize, traditionalize, trivialize, ventriloquize, visualize
Medical Dictionary
desensitize
transitive verb de·sen·si·tize
de·sen·si·tized also British de·sen·si·tisedde·sen·si·tiz·ing also British de·sen·si·tis·ing
Medical Definition of DESENSITIZE
: to make less sensitive : reduce sensitivity in <desensitize a nerve with a local anesthetic>: as a : to make (a sensitized or hypersensitive individual) insensitive or nonreactive to a sensitizing agent b : to extinguish an emotional response (as of fear, anxiety, or guilt) to stimuli which formerly induced it : make emotionally insensitive <evidence that violence on television desensitizes children to actual violence—Stephanie Harrington> c : to decrease a response (as of a cell receptor) progressively following prolonged exposure to a stimulus <formation of cAMP was reduced significantly in desensitized cells and remained low in the continuous presence of agonist—S. M. Nilius et al>
—de·sen·si·ti·za·tion also British de·sen·si·ti·sa·tion \(ˌ)dē-ˌsen-sət-ə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌsen-stə-ˈzā-\ noun
Variants of DESENSITIZE
de·sen·si·tize also British de·sen·si·tise \(ˈ)dē-ˈsen(t)-sə-ˌtīz\
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