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desensitize

[dee-sen-si-tahyz] / diˈsɛn sɪˌtaɪz /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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“One of the things that we teach them to do is to massage that over repeatedly throughout the day, to desensitize it,” April says.

From Slate Oct. 15, 2024

Fejzo says one way to turn the findings into a treatment might be to give GDF15 pre-pregnancy to help desensitize high-risk people to the hormone.

From Science Magazine Dec. 13, 2023

“The perpetrators of this crime do so in the hope that it will harass and intimidate Jewish families, radicalize others, or desensitize some to the messaging,” the motion adds.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 28, 2023

The simulations can help patients practice organizational and decision-making skills learned in cognitive behavioral therapy -- currently the standard treatment -- and desensitize them to the distress they feel when discarding.

From Science Daily Oct. 16, 2023

Then the treatment will desensitize it sufficiently and I can work on it without hurting you at all.'

From Cape Cod and All the Pilgrim Land, June 1922, Volume 6, Number 4 A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Interests of Southeastern Massachusetts by Various

“We hear stuff like this all the time. It just desensitizes you to there being an actual threat, knock on wood.”

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 13, 2026

Fuchs hopes viewers also recognize the ways that fear desensitizes Derry townsfolk to the horrors in their midst.

From Salon Oct. 26, 2025

“It desensitizes you to handcuffs, to steel, to concrete, to cold, to institutions,” said Roybal, now 38 and a physical therapist.

From Seattle Times Apr. 10, 2023

In addition to killing cavity-causing bacteria, the treatment hardens tooth structure, desensitizes the tooth and even stops new cavities from forming.

From Washington Post Sep. 11, 2020

“Wikipedians are used to hunting trolls and fighting them. It desensitizes them.”

From Slate Dec. 11, 2014

But Wall Street has become desensitized to the actual or attempted regulation of tech platforms, which have only continued to grow.

From Barron's Jun. 15, 2026

Reactions to other recent reports have been muted as well, with investors seemingly desensitized to Nvidia’s big numbers.

From MarketWatch Feb. 23, 2026

Or maybe, through repeated exposure, Americans have been desensitized to the burden that unnecessary complexity imposes on us.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 12, 2026

We’ve become desensitized to the ritual by now, but slobbering over an elected official—of any stripe—is, and always will be, unbecoming.

From Slate Mar. 8, 2025

Rowan hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now he understood; it stopped being gleaning the moment one became desensitized to the act.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Doo-man can’t work to the best of his ability unless he eats, even if it means desensitizing himself to life’s gruesome truths.

From Salon Mar. 25, 2025

Skylar King, who’s performing at the show, said she had a week of long conversations with her fellow performers on how to joke about climate change without desensitizing people to the seriousness of the topic.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 7, 2024

Trainers begin by desensitizing the chimps to the sound, doling out bananas, Cheerios or other treats as it plays.

From New York Times Aug. 8, 2023

It works by desensitizing the nerves in the skin that transmit an itch sensation.

From Seattle Times Jun. 7, 2023

But this morning I noticed a real improvement when I went through the massage and desensitizing routine.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen




Vocabulary lists containing desensitize


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