neutral

Etymology

From Middle French neutral (compare modern French neutre), from Latin neutrālis. By surface analysis, neuter +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnjuːtɹəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈn(j)uːtɹəl/, [ˈnuːt͡ʃɹəl]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

neutral (comparative more neutral, superlative most neutral)

1. (politics) Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.
2. Favoring neither the supporting nor opposing viewpoint of a topic of debate; unbiased.

   Synonyms: disinterested, indifferent; see also Thesaurus:impartial

   I am neutral regarding the issue of gay marriage.

   • 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times:

     The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other.

3. Neither positive nor negative.
4. Neither beneficial nor harmful.

   Synonym: innocuous

   • c. 1600, Sir John Davies, The Original, Nature, and Immortality of the Soul:

     Some things good, and some things ill, do seem,
     And neutral some, in her fantastic eye.

   • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […] In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.

5. (biology) Having no sex; neuter.

   Synonym: sexless

6. Having no obvious colour; gray.

   Synonym: beige

8. (physics) Neither positive nor negative; possessing no charge or equivalent positive and negative charge such that there is no imbalance.

   Synonyms: uncharged, chargeless

10. (chemistry) Having a pH of or near 7, neither acidic nor alkaline.
11. (liquor, chemistry) Of an alcoholic drink, having been fermented and distilled but with no additives.
13. (roleplaying games) Having an alignment that is situated between chaotic and lawful.

    Coordinate terms: chaotic, lawful

Noun

neutral (plural neutrals)

1. A nonaligned state, or a member of such a state.
2. A person who takes no side in a dispute.
   • 1931, “Which Side Are You On?”, performed by Florence Patton Reece:

     They say in Harlan County
     There are no neutrals there
     You'll either be a union man
     Or a thug for J.H. Blair.

3. An individual or entity serving as an arbitrator or adjudicator.
4. A neutral hue.
5. The position of a set of gears in which power cannot be transmitted to the drive mechanism.
   • 1961, Robert S. Close, With Hooves of Brass, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 124:

     He shoved the tractor into neutral, and, leaving the engine running, jumped down[.]

6. An electrical terminal or conductor which has zero or close to zero voltage with respect to the ground.

   Coordinate terms: hot, ground, earth

Anagrams

• Renault, run late, unalert, unalter

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin neutrālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [nəwˈtɾal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [newˈtɾal]

Adjective

neutral m or f (masculine and feminine plural neutrals)

1. neutral

Further reading

• “neutral” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Etymology

From Latin neutrālis.

Adjective

neutral (neuter neutralt, plural and definite singular attributive neutrale)

1. neutral

   Synonyms: upartisk, uvildig

2. uncontroversial

   Synonym: ukontroversiel

3. Neither positive nor negative
   1. (chemistry) neither acidic nor alkaline
   2. (physics) uncharged, chargeless

References

• “neutral” in Den Danske Ordbog

Alternative forms

• n. (abbreviation)

Etymology

16th century, borrowed from Latin neutralis, at first in political parlance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔʏ̯ˈtʁaːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

neutral (strong nominative masculine singular neutraler, comparative neutraler, superlative am neutralsten)

1. neutral
   1. (politics) not taking sides, not joining alliances

      Synonyms: unbeteiligt, unparteiisch, bündnisfrei

   2. impartial, unbiased

      Synonyms: unparteiisch, unvoreingenommen, unbefangen, wertfrei

   3. having no pronounced quality, neither good nor bad etc.

      Synonym: indifferent

   4. (physics) electrically uncharged

      Synonym: ungeladen

   5. (chemistry) neither acidic nor alkaline
2. neuter
   1. (grammar) of neuter gender

      Synonym: sächlich

   2. (biology, rare) sexless

      Synonym: geschlechtlos

Further reading

• “neutral” in Duden online
• “neutral” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin neutralis or Italian neutrale. By surface analysis, neutru +‎ -al.

Adjective

neutral m or n (feminine singular neutrală, masculine plural neutrali, feminine and neuter plural neutrale)

1. neutral

Etymology

From Latin neutrālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /neuˈtɾal/ [neu̯ˈt̪ɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: neu‧tral

Adjective

neutral m or f (masculine and feminine plural neutrales)

1. (politics) neutral

Further reading

• “neutral”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10