desensitize

de·sen·si·tize

transitive verb \(ˌ)dē-ˈsen(t)-sə-ˌtīz\

Definition of DESENSITIZE

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

Examples of DESENSITIZE

1. The shot will help to desensitize the nerve.

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

de·sen·si·tize

transitive verb    (Medical Dictionary)

de·sen·si·tizedalso British ; de·sen·si·tised; de·sen·si·tiz·ingalso 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-\ (audio pronunciation) noun

Variants of DESENSITIZE

de·sen·si·tize also British de·sen·si·tise \(ˈ)dē-ˈsen(t)-sə-ˌtīz\ (audio pronunciation)