ˈn(y)ü.trəˌlīz verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Usage: see -ize
Etymology: neutral (I) + -ize
transitive verb
1. : to make chemically neutral
neutralize an acid with a base
: destroy the peculiar properties or effect of
stimulated the adrenals to secrete a hormone that neutralized rheumatism — G.W.Gray b. 1886
2. : to destroy the peculiar properties or opposite dispositions of : reduce to inefficiency : counteract the activity or effect of
neutralized his effort by a show of force
neutralizing these arguments with consummate skill
3. : to make void of electricity or electrically inert by combining equal positive and negative quantities
4. : to invest (as a country) with conventional or obligatory neutrality conferring inviolability under international law by belligerents
5. : to reduce or destroy the combat effectiveness of (as an enemy force or an artillery installation)
6. : to make (a color) neutral by blending with the complement
7. : to make inoperative (a phonetic or grammatical contrast found elsewhere or formerly)
with many speakers the t-d opposition in latter : ladder is neutralized
intransitive verb
1. : to prevent regeneration by inserting a device to balance signal feedback from the output to the input of an electronic device
2. : to undergo neutralization
Synonyms:
counteract , negative : neutralize indicates an equalizing, making ineffectual or inoperative, or nullifying by an opposing force, power, agency, or effect
a quinine that can neutralize his venom; it is called courage — Elmer Davis
neutralize the effects of propaganda with counterpropaganda so as to render the international environment favorable — Earl Latham
our esteem for facts has not neutralized in us all religiousness — William James
counteract may indicate merely neutralizing or counterbalancing; it is often used in situations in which the good and bad or the beneficial and deleterious are opposed
these two principles have often sufficed, even when counteracted by great public calamities and by bad institutions, to carry civilization rapidly forward — T.B.Macaulay
frequently visited the Choctaws, in an effort to counteract the influence of the French and to win them to an alliance with the English — W.J.Ghent
negative indicates an annulling, contradicting, making futile, useless, or ineffective, or vitiating by an opposing force, effect, or trend
as if the wind might blow it over, thus negativing the idea of solidity — Arnold Bennett
it is only in literature that the paradoxical and even mutually negativing anecdotes in the history of a human heart can be juxtaposed and annealed by art into verisimilitude and credibility — William Faulkner