Meaning & use
Desensitized
Last updated
made less sensitive to something, especially through repeated exposure, whether emotionally, physically, or physiologically.
See it in a sentence
Years of covering war zones had desensitized the journalist to violence.
The dentist desensitized the tooth before the procedure to reduce pain.
A note on using this word
Widely used in discussions of media violence, describing how repeated exposure can dull emotional response.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
sensitizedheightened
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