desensitize

“One of the things that we teach them to do is to massage that over repeatedly throughout the day, to desensitize it,” April says.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2024

For young children and people who have to take many different allergy medications, immunotherapies in the form of shots and oral drops can help desensitize the immune system to allergens, treating symptoms at their root.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2024

The pretreatment seemed to desensitize the animals to the hormone’s effects later on.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 13, 2023

“The perpetrators of this crime do so in the hope that it will harass and intimidate Jewish families, radicalize others, or desensitize some to the messaging,” the motion adds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2023

Then the treatment will desensitize it sufficiently and I can work on it without hurting you at all.'

From Cape Cod and All the Pilgrim Land, June 1922, Volume 6, Number 4 A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Interests of Southeastern Massachusetts by Various

“We hear stuff like this all the time. It just desensitizes you to there being an actual threat, knock on wood.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

Fuchs hopes viewers also recognize the ways that fear desensitizes Derry townsfolk to the horrors in their midst.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025

“It desensitizes you to handcuffs, to steel, to concrete, to cold, to institutions,” said Roybal, now 38 and a physical therapist.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2023

In addition to killing cavity-causing bacteria, the treatment hardens tooth structure, desensitizes the tooth and even stops new cavities from forming.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 11, 2020

“Wikipedians are used to hunting trolls and fighting them. It desensitizes them.”

From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2014

But Wall Street has become desensitized to the actual or attempted regulation of tech platforms, which have only continued to grow.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Reactions to other recent reports have been muted as well, with investors seemingly desensitized to Nvidia’s big numbers.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026

“You almost get desensitized to it,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

We’ve become desensitized to the ritual by now, but slobbering over an elected official—of any stripe—is, and always will be, unbecoming.

From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2025

By their constant contact with the chemicals these men keep themselves desensitized — as an allergist keeps his patients desensitized by repeated small injections of the allergen.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Saturating audiences with doomsday stories risks desensitizing them, Nelson warned.

From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026

Skylar King, who’s performing at the show, said she had a week of long conversations with her fellow performers on how to joke about climate change without desensitizing people to the seriousness of the topic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2024

Trainers begin by desensitizing the chimps to the sound, doling out bananas, Cheerios or other treats as it plays.

From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2023

It works by desensitizing the nerves in the skin that transmit an itch sensation.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023

But this morning I noticed a real improvement when I went through the massage and desensitizing routine.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen