1. to make someone less sensitive to or aware of something, especially something unpleasant or disturbing
Usage: British spelling; American spelling is 'desensitize'; often used with 'to'
2. to reduce or eliminate an allergic or emotional response to a stimulus through repeated exposure
Usage: psychology and medical contexts

Examples

• Watching violent films may desensitise children to real-world aggression.
• The therapist used gradual exposure to desensitise her patient to flying.
• Repeated exposure to the noise eventually desensitised the residents to the traffic.
• Social media can desensitise people to disturbing images.
• The treatment aims to desensitise patients to their phobias.
• Constant notifications have desensitised us to urgent messages.