Neutralize Meaning
/ˈnjuːtɹəlaɪz/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo make (something) even, inactive or ineffective.
verbTo make (a territory, etc.) politically neutral.
Sentence Examples
Flavio can try using antibiotics to neutralize the bacteria.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
To make an acid harmless by adding a base is to ____ it.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The defender worked hard to ____ the opponent's best player during the game.
Word Origin & History
From French neutraliser (first attested in 1642). By surface analysis, neutral + -ize.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It’s possible that some microbes don’t just take up residence in tumors but help them grow. They may cloak the tumor from the immune system, neutralize drugs or help tumors spread through the body."
— 2022 September 29, Carl Zimmer, “A New Approach to Spotting Tumors: Look for Their Microbes”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 01 Dec 2022:
"All the powers involved are committed not only to stay out of a given territory, but also to reenter it if any one of them violates the independence of the neutralized country."
— 1965, United States. Congress. Senate, Hearings, volume 1, page 77:
"At the beginning of the opening game, Shepard becomes the first human Spectre, an elite operative given broad authority to neutralize threats to galactic order in the galaxy."
— 2019, “Mass Effect (Trilogy)”, in Michael M. Levy, Farah Mendlesohn, editors, Aliens in Popular Culture, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 175:
"“We managed to neutralise the guilty person. So there was no longer any imminent threat,” De Croo said, […]"
— 2023 October 17, Lisa O'Carroll, Miranda Bryant, Lorenzo Tondo, quoting Alexander De Croo, “Killing of two Swedish football fans in Brussels ‘probably lone wolf’ attack”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 02 Dec 2023:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To make an acid harmless by adding a base is to ____ it.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The defender worked hard to ____ the opponent's best player during the game.