neutral

American  

[noo-truhl, nyoo-] / ˈnu trəl, ˈnju- /

adjective

1. 

   not taking part or giving assistance in a dispute or war between others.

   Sweden was a neutral nation during World War II.

2. not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy.

   The arbitrator was absolutely neutral.

   Synonyms:

   unbiased, uninvolved, dispassionate, disinterested, impartial

3. of or belonging to a state or party that is not taking part or giving assistance in a dispute.

   Troops cannot be recruited from neutral territory.

4. of no particular kind, characteristics, etc.; indefinite (sometimes used in combination): The awards show has announced a new gender-neutral acting category alongside its longstanding Best Actress and Best Actor ones.

   She had a neutral personality that made no impression whatever.

   The awards show has announced a new gender-neutral acting category alongside its longstanding Best Actress and Best Actor ones.

5. (of a color or shade)

   1. gray; without hue; of zero chroma; achromatic.

   2. matching well with many or most other colors or shades, as white or beige.

6. Botany, Zoology. neuter.

7. not causing or reflecting a change in something.

   It is believed that the new tax law will be revenue neutral.

8. Chemistry. exhibiting neither acid nor alkaline qualities.

   neutral salts.

9. Physics.

   1. (of a particle) having no charge.

   2. (of an atom, molecule, collection of particles, fluid, or solid) having no net charge; electroneutral; not electrified.

   3. not magnetized.

10. Phonetics. (of a vowel) pronounced with the tongue relaxed in a central position, as the a in alive; reduced.

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noun

• neutrals
  plural

1. a person or a nation that remains unaligned with any side, as in a controversy or war.

2. a citizen of a nation that does not join or support any side during a war.

3. Machinery, Automotive. the position or state of disengaged gears or other interconnecting parts.

   in neutral.

4. a neutral color.

neutral British  

/ ˈnjuːtrəl /

adjective

1. not siding with any party to a war or dispute

2. of, belonging to, or appropriate to a neutral party, country, etc

   neutral land

3. of no distinctive quality, characteristics, or type; indifferent

4. (of a colour such as white or black) having no hue; achromatic

5. (of a colour) dull, but harmonizing with most other colours

6. a less common term for neuter

7. chem neither acidic nor alkaline

8. physics having zero charge or potential

9. rare having no magnetism

10. phonetics (of a vowel) articulated with the tongue relaxed in mid-central position and the lips midway between spread and rounded

    the word ``about'' begins with a neutral vowel

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noun

1. a neutral person, nation, etc

2. a citizen of a neutral state

3. the position of the controls of a gearbox that leaves the transmission disengaged

neutral Scientific  

/ no̅o̅′trəl /

1. Neither acid nor alkaline.

2. Having no inherent or net charge, especially electric charge.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antineutral
  adjective
• nonneutral
  adjective
• quasi-neutral
  adjective
• semineutral
  adjective
• unneutral
  adjective
• antineutrally
  adverb
• neutrally
  adverb
• nonneutrally
  adverb
• quasi-neutrally
  adverb
• unneutrally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• neutrals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of neutral

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin neutrālis “grammatically neuter,” from neutr- (stem of neuter neuter ( def. ) ) + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Commonly used to describe a person who doesn’t pick sides in disputes, neutral also pegs anything that refuses to be bold: the color beige, bland clothing, people with no preferences on where to eat for dinner. Being neutral sounds kind of boring. But neutrality is really important in some cases: Judges, for example, must remain totally neutral when hearing a case. Manners mavens say that it's best to remain neutral when topics like politics and religion come up during a party. And boxers can look to the neutral corners in the ring to escape a punch.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neutral neutrals

For at least the past three years, Borges was in the former camp, as she’s had a neutral rating on the stock.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Warsh’s dismissal of the neutral rate will come with consequences, Brij Khurana writes.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The bank maintains a neutral rating on Tencent and trims its target price to 435.00 Hong Kong dollars from HK$440.00.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

A Z boson is a neutral elementary particle associated with the weak force.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Here in neutral Holland one sunlit June day followed another.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

With all of the slinky silhouettes and wearable neutrals, I had a passing thought that we might be seeing the Rick Owens-ification of Coach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

"Home clubs need to have a vibrant section to create an atmosphere but equally there are new fans, neutrals and families."

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Describing a result as a 'victory for football' might seem like a trite cliche - but you won't find many neutrals disagreeing with that description of Spain's win in the 2026 World Cup final.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Coastal homeowners are trading in breezy blues and sandy neutrals for a darker, moody palette.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

She was sorting them into columns: Jack’s side; Julian’s side; neutrals.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

Related Words

• disinterested
• evenhanded
• fair-minded
• inactive
• indifferent
• nonaligned
• nonpartisan
• unbiased
• uncommitted
• undecided
• uninvolved