neutral: Meaning and Definition of
neu•tral
Pronunciation: (n'trul, ny'-), [key]
— adj.
- not taking part or giving assistance in a dispute or war between others: a neutral nation during World War II.
- not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy: The arbitrator was absolutely neutral.
- of or belonging to a neutral state or party: neutral territory.
- of no particular kind, characteristics, etc.; indefinite: a neutral personality that made no impression whatever; a sex-neutral job title.
- (of a color or shade)
- gray; without hue; of zero chroma; achromatic.
- matching well with many or most other colors or shades, as white or beige.
- neuter.
- not causing or reflecting a change in something: It is believed that the new tax law will be revenue neutral.
- exhibiting neither acid nor alkaline qualities: neutral salts.
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- (of a particle) having no charge.
- (of an atom, molecule, collection of particles, fluid, or solid) having no net charge; electroneutral; not electrified.
- not magnetized.
- (of a vowel) pronounced with the tongue relaxed in a central position, as the a in alive; reduced.
—n.
- a person or a nation that remains neutral, as in a controversy or war.
- a citizen of a neutral nation during a war.
- the position or state of disengaged gears or other interconnecting parts: in neutral.
- a neutral color.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.