What does desensitisation mean?
Desensitisation is the noun describing the process by which someone or something becomes less sensitive or responsive to a stimulus, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. It is most familiar in two contexts. First, critics of modern media warn that repeated exposure to violence or distressing imagery produces a desensitisation to suffering, dulling natural emotional reactions over time. Second, psychologists use 'systematic desensitisation' as a therapeutic technique, deliberately exposing patients to feared objects or situations in small, controlled steps so that anxiety gradually fades. The word also has medical uses, describing reduced bodily responses to drugs or allergens. It is a formal term, found mainly in academic, clinical, and journalistic writing, and carries no inherent judgment — the effect it names may be harmful, as in emotional numbing, or beneficial, as in overcoming a phobia. Its British spelling uses '-s-', while American English prefers 'desensitization'.
The process or result of becoming less sensitive or emotionally responsive to something, especially through repeated exposure.
"Critics argue that graphic video games contribute to the desensitisation of young players to violence."
Often followed by the preposition 'to' when specifying what sensitivity is diminished toward.
A therapeutic method in which a person is progressively exposed to a feared stimulus until their anxious response is extinguished; also called systematic desensitisation.
"Systematic desensitisation remains a widely used behavioural treatment for specific phobias."
In medicine, the reduction of physiological response to a drug, allergen, or other stimulus after repeated administration or exposure.
"Patients on long-term medication may develop desensitisation, requiring adjusted dosages."
Rarely pluralised; the uncountable singular form is standard, since the word normally denotes a general process rather than countable instances.
"Different patients required different desensitisations depending on the severity of their allergies."
Psychologists use systematic desensitisation — the same word behind fears of media numbness — as one of the most effective treatments for phobias: the very process that dulls empathy can also cure terror.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of desensitisation
Desensitisation is formed from the prefix 'de-' (indicating removal or reversal) combined with 'sensitise', which derives ultimately from the Latin 'sensus', meaning feeling or perception, via the Late Latin 'sensibilis' ('capable of being sensed'). The verb 'desensitise' arose in English in the late nineteenth century, and the corresponding noun followed soon after as the concept gained currency in psychology and medicine. Cognates sharing the Latin root include 'sensation', 'sensory', and 'sentient', all tracing back to the same ancient idea of perceiving or feeling.
Related word forms
How desensitisation is actually used
Formal and largely technical register, common in psychology, medicine, and media criticism. The spelling with '-s-' follows British conventions; American English typically uses 'desensitization'. In everyday speech, phrases like 'numbness' or 'becoming numb to' often replace this noun.
Easily confused with desensitisation
The two words mean exactly the same thing; 'desensitisation' is the British spelling while 'desensitization' is the American spelling.
'Dissension' means disagreement or conflict of opinion, whereas 'desensitisation' refers to reduced sensitivity or emotional responsiveness.