desensitise

IPA/ˌdiːˈsen.sɪ.taɪz/
IPA/ˌdiːˈsen.sə.taɪz/

desensitise — verb

  • desensitisepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • desensitises3rd person singular
  • desensitising-ing form
  • desensitisedpast simple

1. to make a person feel an emotion such as fear, sadness, or shock less powerfully

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to make a person feel an emotion such as fear, sadness, or shock less powerfully, usually because they have seen or experienced it many times

例句

Ryo became so desensitised to violent images that he no longer flinched during action films.

passive: become desensitised to [stimulus]

Amira worried that working in the emergency room would desensitise her to the suffering of others.

desensitise + object + to + noun

同義詞
  • numb

    less formal, often used for both physical and emotional sensation

  • deaden

    more formal, often emphasises a complete loss of feeling

  • harden

    implies becoming tough or resilient through repeated exposure, sometimes with a neutral connotation

反義詞
  • sensitise

    direct opposite — to make someone more responsive or reactive to something

文法句型

desensitise + object + to + noun/gerund

become/get + desensitised + to + noun/gerund

用法筆記

Frequently used in passive constructions with 'become' or 'get'. The stimulus that causes reduced sensitivity is introduced by the preposition 'to'.

常見錯誤

❌The war desensitised the soldiers.
✅The war desensitised the soldiers to violence.
💡'desensitise' needs a 'to' phrase to specify what someone becomes less sensitive to.