desensitized

adjective

as in ruthless
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings having lived through the horrors of war, the soldiers had seemingly become desensitized to virtually all human suffering

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of desensitized Although today’s audiences might be more desensitized to such gruesome scenes thanks to hyperrealistic special effects in modern horror movies, and the commonplace spread of graphic clips online, audiences of the ‘80s were reportedly traumatized and scandalized. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026 While the effects of violent media on viewers are notoriously hard to study, some evidence suggests that some audiences can become desensitized to the real-world consequences of unhealthy and violent content. — Cynthia Chris, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desensitized
  1. ruthless
  2. merciless
  3. stony
  4. insensitive
  5. callous
  6. hard
Adjective
  • Once the ruthless commander of Bosnian Serb forces, Mladic oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, mass killings and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that left more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys dead.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter, like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruthless
Adjective
  • In Braun’s script, the merciless obstacle course of singlehood seems just absurd.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Regehr was relentless and merciless, and Oilers fans had to witness it over and over again.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of merciless
Adjective
  • Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique.
    — Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
  • Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal.
    — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Definition of stony
Adjective
  • Other retailers have also pulled merchandise that critics deemed racially insensitive, discriminatory or offensive after public backlash and social media protests.
    — Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • So have other terms considered insensitive, such as master/slave and blackhat/whitehat.
    — Jo Mackiewicz, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of insensitive
Adjective
  • Just not as much as the callous bosses who created this indefensible, toxic situation and the fanatics who once cheered it.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • This is a callous continuation of the ongoing campaign by the same individuals and groups targeting Jewish people and the state of Israel, a pattern of antisemitism and misinformation that puts our community in grave danger.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of callous
Adjective
  • Sunday’s game was the first time since Cunningham was taken down by the Sky’s DiJonai Carrington on a hard foul on a fast break earlier this month.
    — Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Other majors, such as engineering, with its extensive math requirements, have been harder to shrink.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hard

Browse Nearby Words

deselects
desensitized
desert
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Cite this Entry

“Desensitized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desensitized. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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