Dictionary

neutralize en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈnutɹəˌlaɪz/ (General-American)
• /ˈnjuːtɹəlaɪz/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From French neutraliser (first attested in 1642). By surface analysis, neutral + -ize.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make (something) even, inactive or ineffective.
   • The antidote neutralized the toxin.
   • It’s possible that some microbes don’t just take up residence in tumors but help them grow. They may cloak the tumor from the immune system, neutralize drugs or help tumors spread through the body. 2022 September 29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 01 Dec 2022:
2. (transitive) To make (a territory, etc.) politically neutral.
   • All the powers involved are committed not only to stay out of a given territory, but also to reenter it if any one of them violates the independence of the neutralized country. 1965, United States. Congress. Senate, Hearings, volume 1, page 77:
3. (transitive) To make (an acidic or alkaline substance) chemically neutral.
4. (euphemistic, transitive) To kill.
   • “We managed to neutralise the guilty person. So there was no longer any imminent threat,” De Croo said, […] 2023 October 17, Lisa O'Carroll, Miranda Bryant, Lorenzo Tondo, quoting Alexander De Croo, “Killing of two Swedish football fans in Brussels ‘probably lone wolf’ attack”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 02 Dec 2023:
   • At the beginning of the opening game, Shepard becomes the first human Spectre, an elite operative given broad authority to neutralize threats to galactic order in the galaxy. 2019, “Mass Effect (Trilogy)”, in Michael M. Levy, Farah Mendlesohn, editors, Aliens in Popular Culture, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 175:

Forms

Deriveds

electroneutralize · preneutralize · deneutralize · bioneutralize · neutralizable · immunoneutralize · reneutralize · underneutralize · subneutralizing · immunoneutralized · neutralizer · gender-neutralize · neutralization · nonneutralizing · seroneutralize · seroneutralizing · overneutralize · unneutralized

Synonyms

counteract · counterweigh

Translations (56)

ru нейтрализова́ть (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · he לְנַטְרֵל (To kill (euphemism)) · hy չեզոքացնել (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · pt neutralizar (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · ro neutraliza (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · ca neutralitzar (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · lv neitralizēt (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · ast neutralizar (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · bg неутрализирам (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · ia neutralisar (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · vi trung hòa (To make chemically neutral) · pl neutralizować (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · pl neutralizować (To make chemically neutral) · cmn 抵消 (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · pl neutralizować (To kill (euphemism)) · it neutralizzare (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · vi trung hòa (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · fi neutraloida (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · sq asnjanësoj (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · nn nøytralisera (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · vi trung lập hóa (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · ga neodraigh (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · fi neutralisoida (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · ja 中和する (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · pl zneutralizować (To kill (euphemism)) · nn nøytralisere (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · da neutralisere (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · uk нейтралізува́ти (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · bg неутрализирам (To make chemically neutral) · sv neutralisera (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · el εξουδετερώνω (To make chemically neutral) · ko 중화하다 (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · gl neutralizar (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · he לְנַטְרֵל (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · hu semlegesít (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · tr etkisiz hale getirmek (To kill (euphemism)) · eo neŭtraligi (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · he לְנַטְרֵל (To make chemically neutral) · nb nøytralisere (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · de neutralisieren (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · mi whakangū (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · es neutralizar (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · hu semlegesít (To make chemically neutral) · ja 相殺する (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · pl zneutralizować (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · fr neutraliser (To make chemically neutral) · cmn 中和 (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · pl zneutralizować (To make chemically neutral) · mi whakangoikore (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · fr neutraliser (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · be нейтралізава́ць (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · mi whakangū (To make chemically neutral) · mi whakaruhi (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · nl neutraliseren (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · el εξουδετερώνω (to make even, inactive or ineffective) · it neutralizzare (To make chemically neutral)