- (also intr)
to render or become ineffective or neutral by counteracting, mixing, etc; nullify - (also intr)
to make or become electrically or chemically neutral to exclude (a country) from the sphere of warfare or alliances by international agreement: the great powers neutralized Belgium in the 19th century
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
neu•tral•ize /ˈnutrəˌlaɪz, ˈnyu-/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -ized, -iz•ing.
neu•tral•iz•er, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to make neutral.
- to make (something) have no or little effect; counteract;
nullify:His campaign team tried to neutralize the bad effects of the debate.
neu•tral•iz•er, n. [countable]
neu•tral•ize
(no̅o̅′trə līz′, nyo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation v., -ized, -iz•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
neu′tral•iz′er, n.
v.t.
- to make neutral;
cause to undergo neutralization. - to make (something) ineffective;
counteract;
nullify:carelessness that neutralized our efforts. - Militaryto put out of action or make incapable of action:to neutralize an enemy position.
- Governmentto declare neutral;
invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war:to neutralize a city to prevent bombing. - Chemistryto add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
- Electricityto render electrically or magnetically neutral.
v.i.
- to become neutral or neutralized* undergo neutralization:With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.
- neutral + -ize 1655–65
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'neutralise' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):