sensitize meaning

UK US /ˈsɛnsətaɪz/ 3 syllables

sensitize (verb): make sensitive or aware.

sensitize has 4 meanings in this dictionary.

sensitize as a verb

  1. make sensitive or aware
    • He was not sensitized to her emotional needs

    Synonyms: sensitise, sensify, sensibilize, sensibilise

    Opposite: desensitize

    Type of: change

    Related forms: sensitization

  2. cause to sense; make sensitive
    • She sensitized me with respect to gender differences in this traditional male-dominated society
    • My tongue became sensitized to good wine

    Synonyms: sensitise

    Opposite: desensitize

    Kinds: photosensitize, stimulate

  3. make sensitive to a drug or allergen
    • Long-term exposure to this medicine may sensitize you to the allergen

    Synonyms: sensitise

    Type of: change

    Related forms: sensitizer, sensitization

  4. make (a material) sensitive to light, often of a particular colour, by coating it with a photographic emulsion
    • sensitize the photographic film

    Synonyms: sensitise

    Type of: change

How to pronounce sensitize

sensitize is pronounced /ˈsɛnsətaɪz/ in American English. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Scrabble score: 18 (letter breakdown)

Word lists: words starting with SE · words ending in ZE · 9-letter words

More about sensitize on Wikipedia.