neutral: Meaning and Definition of

neu•tral

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