desensitize vs alter

desensitize and alter both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
desensitize	No	No	Yes	No
alter	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, alter is a hypernym of desensitize; that is, alter is a word with a broader meaning than desensitize:

Other hypernyms of desensitize include change, modify.

As verbs, alter is a hypernym of desensitize; that is, alter is a word with a broader meaning than desensitize:

Other hypernyms of desensitize include change, modify.

desensitize (verb)	alter (verb)
make insensitive	remove the ovaries of
cause not to be sensitive	become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
	cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
	insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
	make an alteration to