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neu·tral | \ ˈnü-trəl 
, ˈnyü- \
, ˈnyü- \Definition of neutral
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : one that is neutral The two countries were neutrals while their neighbors were at war.
2 : a neutral color
She painted the room in neutrals.
3 : a position of disengagement (as of gears)
He put the car in neutral.
neutral
adjectiveDefinition of neutral (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : not engaged on either side specifically : not aligned with a political or ideological grouping a neutral nation
2 : of or relating to a neutral state or power
neutral territory
3a : not decided or pronounced as to characteristics : indifferent
b(1) : achromatic
(2) : nearly achromatic
c(1) : neuter sense 3
(2) : lacking stamens or pistils
d : neither acid nor basic
e : not electrically charged
4 : produced with the tongue in the position it has when at rest
the neutral vowels of \ə-ˈbəv\ above
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Other Words from neutral
Adjective
neutrally \ ˈnü-trə-lē , ˈnyü- \ adverb
, ˈnyü- \ adverbneutralness noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for neutral
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of neutral in a Sentence
Noun
He put the car in neutral.
Their sister remained a neutral in the dispute.
The two countries were neutrals while their neighbors were at war. Adjective
He remained neutral while his brothers argued.
She tries to be a fair and neutral journalist.
The battle took place in neutral waters.
The duel will be held on neutral ground.
The report was written in neutral language.
“Why did you do that?” he asked in a neutral tone of voice.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Goldstein tells us the look creates an interesting balance between next-to-nothing neutrals and statement colour.
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Megan Decker, refinery29.com, "Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Just Wore Instagram's Favourite Minimalist Manicure," 22 Aug. 2019 The palette ranges from ivory, pale gray, and black to modern neutrals like ginger (a mustard-y yellow) and clay, with more to come.
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Emily Farra, Vogue, "Desperately Seeking the Perfect SpringPant? This Might Be It," 30 Mar. 2018 Red Star Belgrade and Olympiacos might not scream brotherhood for most neutrals across Europe, but their 30-year 'brotherhood' was on full display on Tuesday when both sides met in the Champions League group stages.
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SI.com, "Red Star & Olympiacos Fans' Stunning 'Brotherhood' Choreography for Champions League Match," 1 Oct. 2019 Shades and hues of neutrals play nicely with other elements and colors.
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Sophia Vassiliou, Houston Chronicle, "GHBA Remodelers Council: Back to school marks unofficial beginning of fall," 24 Aug. 2019 Celeste Wright Costume Sophisticated and self-possessed, Celeste's wardrobe is always understated, but made up of quality pieces worn in layer upon layer of textured neutrals.
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Caylin Harris, Country Living, "The Best 'Big Little Lies' Costumes That'll Make You One of the Monterey 5 for Halloween," 23 Aug. 2019 Until those dramatic final minutes the match at the 80,000 capacity Monumental didn't quite hit the high notes that neutrals might have hoped for in what was scrappy, attritional game for long periods.
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John Sinnott, CNN, "Force is with Flamengo as River Plate stunned in Copa Libertadores final," 23 Nov. 2019 Once Calvin Klein’s androgynous neutrals hit the runway in the early 1990s, florals were passé and minimalism was suddenly all the rage.
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Laurel Benedum, ELLE Decor, "Grandmillennials, Rejoice! Chintz Is Back.," 6 Oct. 2019 But the first of the 30 Russians entered as neutrals did take to the track after passing vetting of their drug-testing histories.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Back on track after avoiding ban, Coleman fastest at worlds," 27 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective That’s important, because research from psychologist Eli Finkel and others shows that viewing your own relationship through completely neutral eyes helps couples hold off declines in marital quality.
4.
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Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., The Conversation, "A 4-step maintenance plan to help keep your relationship going strong," 11 Feb. 2020 Road wins at Kansas and at Texas Tech as well as neutral-site wins over Villanova, Arizona and Butler stood up well to the selection committee and the NCAA’s Evaluation Tool or NET.
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Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, "Baylor’s dominant season positions the Bears with a clear path to the top seed in the NCAA tournament," 9 Feb. 2020 Stomach sleepers should choose a thinner pillow, so their neck stays in a neutral position.
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Emma Seymour, Good Housekeeping, "Your Ultimate Guide to Buying New Bed Pillows," 5 Feb. 2020 Conversely, a content feline may approach you with its tail up, with its body and head in a neutral position and its ears forward.
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Popular Science, "We’re surprisingly bad at reading cats’ facial expressions," 3 Feb. 2020 Organizers set out to make the awards ceremony carbon neutral for the first time.
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Jill Lawless, USA TODAY, "'1917' named best picture at BAFTA Awards; Joaquin Phoenix wins best actor but slams lack of diversity," 2 Feb. 2020 The series is tied 3-3 in Dallas and 2-2 neutral sites
Cincinnati
Record: 12-7, 5-2 American Athletic Conference
Kenpom.com rating: No.
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Pat Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "How to watch, listen and stream UC Bearcats vs. SMU Mustangs," 27 Jan. 2020 Google has been carbon neutral since 2007, partly thanks to offset programs that involve purchasing carbon credits.
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Rishi Iyengar, CNN, "Microsoft says it will go 'carbon negative' by 2030," 16 Jan. 2020 Haya is helping the University of California’s 10 campuses become carbon neutral by 2025.
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Eric Niiler, Wired, "Do Carbon Offsets Really Work? It Depends on the Details," 14 Jan. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'neutral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for neutral
neutral
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of neutral
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a color that is not bright or strong : a neutral color
: the position of the gears in a car, truck, etc., when they do not touch each other and power from the engine does not move the wheels
: a person, country, etc., that does not support either side of an argument, fight, war, etc.
neutral
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of neutral (Entry 2 of 2)
: not supporting either side of an argument, fight, war, etc.
: not supporting one political view over another
: not connected with either side involved in a war, contest, etc.
See the full definition for neutral in the English Language Learners Dictionary
neutral
nounneu·tral | \ ˈnü-trəl , ˈnyü- \
, ˈnyü- \Kids Definition of neutral
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a person or group that does not favor either side in a quarrel, contest, or war
2 : a grayish color or color that is not bright
3 : a position of gears (as in the transmission of a motor vehicle) in which they are not in contact
neutral
adjectiveKids Definition of neutral (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : not favoring either side in a quarrel, contest, or war
2 : of or relating to a country that doesn't favor either side in a dispute
neutral territory
3 : not strong in opinion or feeling
My feelings toward work are neutral.
4 : having a color that is not bright : grayish neutral walls
5 : neither acid nor basic
6 : not electrically charged
neutral
nounneu·tral | \ ˈn(y)ü-trəl \
\Medical Definition of neutral
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a neutral color
neutral
adjectiveMedical Definition of neutral (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : not decided or pronounced as to characteristics
2a : totally lacking in saturation : achromatic
b : not decided in color : nearly achromatic : of low saturation
3 : neither acid nor basic : neither acid nor alkaline specifically : having a pH value of 7.0 a neutral solution contains both hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions at the same concentration 1.00×10−7— Linus Pauling
4 : not electrically charged
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neutral
nounneu·tral
Legal Definition of neutral
(Entry 1 of 2)
: one that is neutral specifically : an impartial person used in alternative dispute resolution to help resolve or to determine the matters in dispute
neutral
adjectiveLegal Definition of neutral (Entry 2 of 2)
: not engaged on either side specifically : not aligned with a political or ideological grouping
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Time Traveler for neutral
The first known use of neutral was in the 15th century
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