Meaning & use
desensitize
To make someone react less strongly to something, often through repeated exposure.
See it in a sentence
Years of covering war zones seemed to desensitize the reporter to violent images.
Doctors gradually desensitize patients to allergens through small, controlled exposures.
A note on using this word
Used both in medicine, for treating allergies, and more broadly for emotional numbing to disturbing content.
Words with a similar meaning
numb
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
sensitize
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