Synonyms

neutralize

American

[noo-truh-lahyz, nyoo-] / ˈnu trəˌlaɪz, ˈnju- /

especially British, neutralise

verb (used with object)

to make neutral; cause to undergo neutralization.
to make (something) ineffective; counteract; nullify.

carelessness that neutralized our efforts.
Military. to put out of action or make incapable of action.

to neutralize an enemy position.
to declare neutral; invest with neutrality in order to exempt from involvement during a war.

to neutralize a city to prevent bombing.
to add an acid to a basic solution or a base to an acidic solution until the resulting solution is chemically neutral (pH = 7).
Electricity. to render electrically or magnetically neutral.

verb (used without object)

to become neutral or neutralized; undergo neutralization.

With this additive the solution begins to neutralize.

neutralize British

/ ˈnjuːtrəˌlaɪz /

verb

(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
to render (an army) incapable of further military action

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

neutralize Scientific

/ no̅o̅′trə-līz′ /

To cause an acidic solution to become neutral by adding a base to it or to cause a basic solution to become neutral by adding an acid to it. Salt and water are usually formed in the process.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of neutralize

First recorded in 1655–65; neutral + -ize

Explanation

When you neutralize something, you make it harmless or ineffective — usually by applying its opposite force, like pouring water on a fire. The world neutral was first used to describe a country that doesn’t take sides in a war, like Switzerland. There’s something kind of noble about a country that doesn’t participate in war by choice, but when we say something has been neutralized — that usually means that its power has been taken away from the outside.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing neutralize

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Code Talker

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

neutralize neutralizes neutralized neutralizing

The team is now testing whether a fast-dissolving mineral called olivine could be used to neutralize the acidic runoff without releasing carbon, potentially cutting emissions drastically.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Among all the varieties tested, kombuchas prepared from green tea and oolong tea demonstrated the strongest antioxidant activity and the greatest capacity to neutralize free radicals.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

Strategic military resources go even further with advanced sensors, directed energy, electronic warfare, and kinetic interceptors to detect, track, and neutralize unmanned threats, whether a single drone or a swarm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

On-screen footage shows UFC fighter Michael Chandler explaining to an FBI agent how to neutralize an armed assailant with hand-to-hand combat.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

As a gay activist once put it, “Only by fully embracing the stigma itself can one neutralize the sting and make it laughable.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

But building alternatives neutralizes the strait as a weapon, said Robin Mills, chief executive of Dubai-based consulting firm Qamar Energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Here, gut cells release the alkaline bicarbonate that neutralizes the stomach acid, and it is here that nutrients are absorbed.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

But this reduction of the character neutralizes the drama’s complexity.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024

It also neutralizes acids made by the bacteria that can wear away at your tooth enamel.

From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2023

"A treat for your feet. Made from all natural ingredients, it neutralizes odor-causing fungi and bacteria. Plus, you'll like the tingle."

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

By measuring the chemistry of rivers draining the mines, they quantified the extent of acid mine drainage and how much of the water was neutralized through mineral reactions that produce carbon dioxide.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Torres replied that the problem plant was just down the street but that authorities had mostly neutralized the situation.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

But here’s the jujitsu move: McElroy then neutralized O’Connor’s order to enforce the subpoena by nullifying the subpoena itself, because the DOJ had failed to identify any possible law-breaking by the hospital.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

“Euphemistic speech is the highest form of thinking, human intelligence, an elegant, ‘veiled,’ neutralized, softened figurative expression of reality,” Xilola Inomovna Ismailova, an English teacher at Kokand State University, wrote last year.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

We had neutralized the worst warders and befriended the more reasonable ones, though the authorities realized this and rotated warders every few months.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

For several weeks, the researchers administered three different therapies: neutralizing antibodies, standard antiretroviral therapy, and an experimental monoclonal antibody called leronlimab.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

The UN Security Council last year gave its approval to a new international Gang Suppression Force tasked with neutralizing the groups.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

To the Knicks, neutralizing Wembanyama comes down to one thing: not caring which of their shooters ends up with the ball in his hands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Nonetheless, officials wanted to inject a neutralizing agent into that second tank, so that if the primary failing tank explodes, it doesn’t cause an even greater blast by igniting the second tank.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

He saw that they must be offset by some type of neutralizing particles, which he called neutrons.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023