neutralize
/ˈnjuː.trə.laɪz/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To make something less strong, harmful, or active. It can also mean to stop one thing from having an effect on another.
- The medicine helps neutralize the poison.
- We need to neutralize the acid first.
- Her calm words neutralized the tension.
Adinary Nuance
Neutralize is stronger and more specific than weaken or reduce. It often means making something harmless or cancelling its effect, especially in science, politics, or conflict. In everyday speech, writers choose it when they want the idea of direct opposition or complete balance.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- trung hòa
- Spanish
- neutralizar
- Chinese
- 中和
- Japanese
- 中和する
- Korean
- 중화하다
Etymology
Neutralize came into English in the late 18th century from French neutraliser, based on neutral. It originally meant to make neutral, and later developed wider scientific and general uses.
Common phrases
neutralize a threatneutralize an acidneutralize the effectneutralize opposition
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is neutralize formal or informal?
- It is fairly formal. You see it often in academic, scientific, military, and business writing.
- What is the difference between neutralize and cancel out?
- Cancel out is more common in everyday English. Neutralize sounds more formal and can mean making something harmless.
- Can neutralize be used for emotions or conflict?
- Yes. It can mean reducing a strong feeling, argument, or threat so it has less power.
- Is neutralize used in science?
- Yes. It is common in chemistry when an acid and a base react to make a neutral substance.