v.
Pronunciation: ( ˌ )d ē - ' sen(t)-s ə - ˌ t ī z
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1898
1 : to make (a sensitized or hypersensitive individual) insensitive or nonreactive to a sensitizing agent
2 : to make emotionally insensitive or callous specifically : to extinguish an emotional response (as of fear, anxiety, or guilt) to stimuli that formerly induced it
– de · sen · si · ti · za · tion \ ( ˌ )d ē - ˌ sen(t)-s ə -t ə - ' z ā -sh ə n \ noun
– de · sen · si · tiz · er \ ( ˌ )d ē - ' sen-s ə - ˌ t ī -z ə r \ noun