as in nullifying
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in offsetting
to balance with an equal force so as to make ineffective
a pro-government rally that is intended to neutralize the antiwar demonstrations
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in assassinating
to put to death deliberately
orders to find the renegade colonel and to neutralize him
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Recent Examples of neutralizing
Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Baking Soda As an alkaline compound, baking soda is skilled at neutralizing odors.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2025
From there, researchers could comb through the libraries to identify any broadly neutralizing nanobodies.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Palivizumab bound to the prefusion and postfusion F proteins, but the most strongly neutralizing antibodies against RSV were those that only targeted the virus’s prefusion structure.
—Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025
Jarrett Renshaw, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Seizing or neutralizing Kharg Island Kharg Island is the centerpiece of Iran’s oil export system.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Purdue had done a better job neutralizing the Bruins’ dynamic point guard than UCLA’s previous two opponents, having held him to only two points in 10 minutes.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Spurs deployed myriad defensive coverages against Cade Cunningham in the two matchups, and their objective of neutralizing him was clear.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Next-gen strike missile Developed by Lockheed Martin, PrSM is the next-generation surface-to-surface weapon system designed to enhance deterrence and provide advanced capabilities for neutralizing, suppressing, and destroying targets at depth.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026
For now, the Supreme Court ruling has effectively installed a strict near-term ceiling on trade barriers, substantially neutralizing the threat of runaway tariff escalation.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
This versatile liquid, which is probably already in your kitchen cabinet, is great for cutting through grease, removing stains, neutralizing odors, and tackling a variety of household tasks, like making the bathtub sparkle.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
Fabric softener counteracts those negative charges, neutralizing them.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
By partly neutralizing criticism that its leaders are elitist or antidemocratic, the right has been able to focus on issues that play to its strengths.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Baking Soda As an alkaline compound, baking soda is skilled at neutralizing odors.
—Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2025
From there, researchers could comb through the libraries to identify any broadly neutralizing nanobodies.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Palivizumab bound to the prefusion and postfusion F proteins, but the most strongly neutralizing antibodies against RSV were those that only targeted the virus’s prefusion structure.
—Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
Trump has repeatedly said the higher energy costs are a small price to pay for neutralizing Iran.
—Jarrett Renshaw, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
Seizing or neutralizing Kharg Island Kharg Island is the centerpiece of Iran’s oil export system.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Purdue had done a better job neutralizing the Bruins’ dynamic point guard than UCLA’s previous two opponents, having held him to only two points in 10 minutes.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The Spurs deployed myriad defensive coverages against Cade Cunningham in the two matchups, and their objective of neutralizing him was clear.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Next-gen strike missile Developed by Lockheed Martin, PrSM is the next-generation surface-to-surface weapon system designed to enhance deterrence and provide advanced capabilities for neutralizing, suppressing, and destroying targets at depth.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026
For now, the Supreme Court ruling has effectively installed a strict near-term ceiling on trade barriers, substantially neutralizing the threat of runaway tariff escalation.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
This versatile liquid, which is probably already in your kitchen cabinet, is great for cutting through grease, removing stains, neutralizing odors, and tackling a variety of household tasks, like making the bathtub sparkle.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
Fabric softener counteracts those negative charges, neutralizing them.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neutralizing
Verb
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The transportation network, in hopes of surmounting its budget problems and offsetting rising labor costs, had increased last year what hotels paid annually by 5%, but did not want to go higher.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
-
While compression reduces memory traffic and GPU-hours required per workload, lower costs per token could spur greater usage, potentially offsetting some of the demand impact.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating conservative icon Charlie Kirk, have revealed who prosecutors intend to call to the stand and also asked the court to delay the preliminary hearing.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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Hezbollah, for the longest time, was strong-arming other parties, and they are accused of assassinating a former Prime Minister.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The resulting management overhead — spending elite engineering time correcting outputs and paying the high token costs of ungrounded prompts — eventually outweighs the initial speed of creation.—
Mohith Shrivastava,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
This suggests the players were continuously correcting their movements mid-execution.—
David Van den Heever,
The Conversation,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What happened Israel’s parliament on Monday gave final approval to legislation that makes death by hanging the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Israel’s parliament approved death penalty by hanging for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, making capital punishment the default sentence in military courts.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chef Alfred Portale leads the kitchen, executing a menu packed with unforgettable dishes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Alphabet, too, was left for dead by the Street on fears that management wasn't executing and the company's AI strategy wasn't panning out to the point the were being overtaken by others.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Taylor, 35, has been slaying this award season, not only on the red carpet but also by earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in Paul Thomas Anderson's action dramedy.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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The 16-year-old son of slaying victim Yesenia Hall heard his mom’s screams from the bedroom of their third-floor apartment early Saturday.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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An unknown assailant shoots up the Vances' house during a Shabbat meal, before killing himself with a cyanide cigarette.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The measure passed, 363–117, killing the death penalty in France.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Neutralizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neutralizing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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