to desensitize
- verb
- /ˌdiːˈsɛnsaɪtaɪz/
- Some studies show that watching too much violent television can desensitize viewers to real-life aggression.
- become desensitized
The autonomic nervous system has been desensitized and we need to regulate it again.
- The autonomic nervous system has been desensitized and we need to regulate it again.
- It's addictive, which means it desensitizes the brain to making more dopamine.
- The derivatives are just there to desensitize the plan to future interest rate swings.
- So a kid playing Grand Theft Auto now is actually playing a game that was designed to desensitize someone to be able to kill somebody.
- And over a period of weeks, I started to become desensitized to that sound, just became kind of background noise.
- It can even cause some fear in terms of treatment for misophonia there there are ways to try and desensitize yourself to certain sounds.
- And we basically desensitize them and, and, you know, and teach them also what is behind a panic.
- So the sounds might be loud or that, you know, the feeling of the punch might feel harder or you might get desensitized to it.
- I I never got completely desensitized to the dead, which I'm so thankful for, but I did become more mechanical, I think.
- And then you kind of your brain connects them together and sort of desensitizes them that way.
- And also, you know, I maybe to desensitize me from people being like that sucked, you know, right.
Examples
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For example, greater exposure to violent media desensitizes people to the effects of violence and aggression.
Academic text (2011) -
And over a period of weeks, I started to become desensitized to that sound, just became kind of background noise.
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Using it could desensitize you to men forever.
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And then we find that line and desensitize slowly.
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Now we said that feedback can be used to desensitize us to variations in forward path gain.
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Some instructors believe that repeated testing will eventually desensitize students.
Academic text (1994) -
To help the recipient's body accept this foreign body part, his or her immune system must be desensitized.
Academic text (2012) -
Several boys were desensitized to the threat of violent victimization.
Academic text (2013) -
Training should allow students to practice these skills and become desensitized to anxiety associated with explorative thinking.
Academic text (2003) -
Normalizing is a tactic used to desensitize an individual to abusive, coercive, or inappropriate behaviors.
Blog text (10)
Synonyms
Make someone less sensitive to unpleasant things
Become used to something unpleasant so it no longer bothers you
To make a feeling, sound, or pain less strong
To make a person unable to feel pain or strong emotion
Antonyms
How Desensitizing
Surface Forms
Morphology
desensitize = sensitize (transparent) = de + sensit + ive + ize
The step from 'sensitize' to 'desensitize' is a standard and readily understandable use of 'de-' meaning to reduce or reverse a state.
Etymology
Desensitize comes from the parts de- meaning 'remove', sense meaning 'feeling', seen in sensitive, and -ize meaning 'to make'. So to desensitize someone is to 'take away' some feeling or make them less responsive, which is why repeated exposure can reduce a strong reaction.