desensitize

English

Alternative forms

• desensitise (British)

Etymology

From de- +‎ sensitize.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈsɛnsɪtaɪz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

desensitize (third-person singular simple present desensitizes, present participle desensitizing, simple past and past participle desensitized)

1. To cause to become less sensitive or insensitive.

   Working in an Operating Room desensitized me to the sight of blood.

Derived terms

• desensitization
• desensitizer
• nondesensitizing

 

Translations

cause to become insensitive

• Catalan: insensibilitzar (ca)
• Finnish: turruttaa (fi), totuttaa (fi), tehdä tunnottomaksi; valottaa (fi) (of film); siedättää (fi) (to an allergenic)
• French: désensibiliser (fr)
• German: desensibilisieren (de), abstumpfen (de)
• Norwegian: desensitivisere
• Portuguese: dessensibilizar
• Romanian: desensibiliza (ro)
• Russian: огрубить (ru) pf (ogrubitʹ), огрублять (ru) impf (ogrubljatʹ), охладеть (ru) (oxladetʹ) (figurative)
• Spanish: desensibilizar, insensibilizar (es)
• Swedish: avtrubba (sv)