Definition

1. Verb:
   • To remove or reduce the sexual character, function, or desire of; to make non-sexual. This involves altering something or someone so that it is no longer associated with or driven by sexuality.
   • To sterilize; to make infertile. This is a specific medical or biological application of the first meaning, referring to the removal of reproductive capacity.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The director chose to desexualise the character's costume to focus attention on her intelligence rather than her appearance.
  • The controversial policy aimed to desexualise certain public displays of affection.
  • In the past, some institutions sought to desexualise individuals with disabilities through compulsory sterilization.

Advanced Usage

• Psychological Context: In psychoanalytic theory, to can refer to the process of sublimating sexual energy (libido) into non-sexual activities, such as artistic or intellectual pursuits.
  • He learned to desexualise his anxiety, channeling it into productive work.

Variants and Related Words

• Desexualize (verb): The preferred spelling in American English.
• Desexualization (noun): The act or process of desexualising.
• Sterilize (verb): A more common and specific synonym for the biological meaning of making infertile.

Synonyms

• Neuter: To remove the sexual organs of an animal.
• Sterilize: To make incapable of producing offspring.
• Castrate: Specifically to remove the testicles (of a male).
• Spay: Specifically to remove the ovaries and uterus (of a female).

Antonyms

• Sexualize: To attribute a sexual character to.
• Arouse: To stimulate sexually.

Notes on Meaning

The word carries significant ethical weight, especially in its second meaning relating to compulsory sterilization, which is widely condemned as a human rights violation. Its use in social contexts (first meaning) often relates to debates about modesty, censorship, or the focus of attention.

Verb

1. make infertile
   • in some countries, people with genetically transmissible disabilites are sterilized
2. direct one's libidinous urges into another direction