desensitize
dee-SEN-sih-tyze
/diːˈsen.sə.taɪz/
To make less sensitive or reactive to a stimulus through repeated, gradual exposure.
Often used in clinical therapy (e.g. overcoming phobias) or media studies (numbness to violence).
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'de-' (away from) and 'sensus' (perception, feeling). In early photography, desensitizing meant making photographic film less reactive to light. Psychologist Joseph Wolpe adapted it in the 1950s for 'systematic desensitization' to treat extreme anxiety.
Word relationships
- numb: Numb implies total loss of feeling; desensitize implies reduced emotional or physical reactivity.
- immunize: Immunize is biological protection against illness; desensitize is psychological reduction of sensitivity.
- sensitize: Sensitize makes someone more reactive or sensitive to a trigger.
- heighten: Heighten increases emotional responsiveness.
Commonly confused with
- sanitize: Sanitize means to make clean or remove offensive material; desensitize means to lower emotional sensitivity.
Word family
- desensitization (noun): The process of reducing sensitivity.
Collocations
- desensitize to violence
- systematically desensitize
- become desensitized
- desensitize the nervous system
Idioms & expressions
- numb to the world
- harden one's heart
Example sentences
- "Therapists slowly desensitize patients with arachnophobia by presenting pictures of spiders before showing live ones." Psychotherapy
- "Constant exposure to graphic news headlines can desensitize the public to real-world tragedies." Sociology
Memory hook
DE-SENSITIZE = remove (de) the extra sensitivity. Dialing DOWN sensitivity step by step.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'habituate'; habituate is general settling down, while desensitize specifically reduces emotional or phobic reactivity.
Fun facts
- Systematic desensitization remains one of the most effective treatments for phobias ever invented by behavioral scientists!
Related words
Explore more words
habituation, acclimatize, de-escalate, tolerance, inoculate, mitigate
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