de·sen·si·tize (d?-s?n?s?-t?z?)tr.v. de·sen·si·tized, de·sen·si·tiz·ing, de·sen·si·tiz·es 1. To render insensitive or less sensitive.2. Immunology To make (an individual) nonreactive or insensitive to an antigen.3. To make emotionally insensitive or unresponsive, as by long exposure or repeated shocks: “This movie in effect may resensitize people who thought they were desensitized to violence” (Steven Spielberg).4. To make (a photographic film or substance) less sensitive to light.de·sen?si·ti·za?tion (-t?-z??sh?n) n.de·sen?si·tiz?er n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.de?sen?si?ti?za?tion (di?s?n s? t??ze? ??n) n. 1. the act or process of desensitizing. 2. the reduction or elimination of an allergic reaction or psychological oversensitivity to an external stimulus by controlled repeated exposure to the stimulus. [1920?25] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.