/dee sen'si teuh zay"sheuhn/ , n.
1. the act or process of desensitizing.
2. Physiol. , Med. the elimination or reduction of natural or acquired reactivity or sensitivity to an external stimulus, as an allergen.
3. Psychiatry. a behavior modification technique, used esp. in treating phobias, in which panic or other undesirable emotional response to a given stimulus is reduced or extinguished, esp. by repeated exposure to that stimulus.
[ 1920-25; DESENSITIZE + -ATION ]