Adjacent Words

Neutral definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

NEUTRAL, a. [L. From neuter.]
1. Not engaged on either side; not taking an active part with either of contending parties. It is policy for a nation to be neutral when other nations are at war. Belligerents often obtain supplies from neutral states.
2. Indifferent; having no bias in favor of either side or party.
3. Indifferent; neither very good nor bad.
Some things good, and some things ill do seem, And neutral some in her fantastic eye.
Neutral salt, in chimistry, a salt or body composed of two primitive saline substances in combination, and possessing the character neither of an acid or alkaline salt; or a combination of an acid with any substance which destroys its acidity; any salt saturated with an alkali, an earth or a metal. But it is more usual to denominate neutral, a salt which is united with an alkaline substance, and to cal the others earthy or metallic.
NEUTRAL, n. A person or nation that takes no part in a contest between others.
The neutral, as far as his commerce extends, becomes a party in the war.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: having no personal preference; "impersonal criticism"; "a neutral observer" [syn: impersonal, neutral]
2: having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive; "inert matter"; "an indifferent chemical in a reaction" [syn: inert, indifferent, neutral]
3: not supporting or favoring either side in a war, dispute, or contest
4: possessing no distinctive quality or characteristics [ant: negative, positive]
5: having no hue; "neutral colors like black or white" [syn: achromatic, neutral] [ant: chromatic]
6: lacking distinguishing quality or characteristics; "a neutral personality that made no impression whatever"
7: having no net electric charge [syn: neutral, electroneutral] n
1: one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Date: 15th century 1. one that is neutral 2. a neutral color 3. a position of disengagement (as of gears) II. adjective Etymology: Middle English neuterall mutually neutralizing, from Medieval Latin *neutralis, back-formation from neutralitas middle ground, from Latin neutralis neuter, from neutr-, neuter Date: 1549 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> 3. a. not decided or pronounced as to characteristics ; indifferent b. (1) achromatic (2) nearly achromatic c. (1) neuter 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 ?-?b?v above> • neutrally adverb • neutralness noun

U.S. Military Dictionary

In combat and combat support operations, an identity applied to a track whose characteristics, behavior, origin, or nationality indicate that it is neither supporting nor opposing friendly forces. See also hostile; suspect; unknown.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 not helping or supporting either of two opposing sides, esp. States at war or in dispute; impartial. 2 belonging to a neutral party, State, etc. (neutral ships). 3 indistinct, vague, indeterminate. 4 (of a gear) in which the engine is disconnected from the driven parts. 5 (of colours) not strong or positive; grey or beige. 6 Chem. neither acid nor alkaline. 7 Electr. neither positive nor negative. 8 Biol. sexually undeveloped; asexual. --n. 1 a a neutral State or person. b a subject of a neutral State. 2 a neutral gear. Derivatives: neutrality n. neutrally adv. Etymology: ME f. obs. F neutral or L neutralis of neuter gender (as NEUTER)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Neutral Neu"tral, a. [L. neutralis, fr. neuter. See Neuter.] 1. Not engaged on either side; not taking part with or assisting either of two or more contending parties; neuter; indifferent. The heart can not possibly remain neutral, but constantly takes part one way or the other. --Shaftesbury. 2. Neither good nor bad; of medium quality; middling; not decided or pronounced. Some things good, and some things ill, do seem, And neutral some, in her fantastic eye. --Sir J. Davies. 3. (Biol.) Neuter. See Neuter, a., 3. 4. (Chem.) Having neither acid nor basic properties; unable to turn red litmus blue or blue litmus red; -- said of certain salts or other compounds. Contrasted with acid, and alkaline. Neutral axis, Neutral surface (Mech.), that line or plane, in a beam under transverse pressure, at which the fibers are neither stretched nor compressed, or where the longitudinal stress is zero. See Axis. Neutral equilibrium (Mech.), the kind of equilibrium of a body so placed that when moved slighty it neither tends to return to its former position not depart more widely from it, as a perfect sphere or cylinder on a horizontal plane. Neutral salt (Chem.), a salt formed by the complete replacement of the hydrogen in an acid or base; in the former case by a positive or basic, in the latter by a negative or acid, element or radical. Neutral tint, a bluish gray pigment, used in water colors, made by mixing indigo or other blue some warm color. the shades vary greatly. Neutral vowel, the vowel element having an obscure and indefinite quality, such as is commonly taken by the vowel in many unaccented syllables. It is regarded by some as identical with the [u^] in up, and is called also the natural vowel, as unformed by art and effort. See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect] 17.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Neutral Neu"tral, n. A person or a nation that takes no part in a contest between others; one who is neutral. The neutral, as far as commerce extends, becomes a party in the war. --R. G. Harper.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(neutrals) 1. If a person or country adopts a neutral position or remains neutral, they do not support anyone in a disagreement, war, or contest. Let's meet on neutral territory... Those who had decided to remain neutral in the struggle now found themselves required to take sides. ADJ • A neutral is someone who is neutral. It was a good game to watch for the neutrals. N-COUNT • neutrality ...a reputation for political neutrality and impartiality. N-UNCOUNT 2. If someone speaks in a neutral voice or if the expression on their face is neutral, they do not show what they are thinking or feeling. Isabel put her magazine down and said in a neutral voice, 'You're very late, darling.'... He told her about the death, describing the events in as neutral a manner as he could. ADJ: usu ADJ n • neutrality I noticed, behind the neutrality of his gaze, a deep weariness. 3. If you say that something is neutral, you mean that it does not have any effect on other things because it lacks any significant qualities of its own, or it is an equal balance of two or more different qualities, amounts, or ideas. Three in every five interviewed felt that the Budget was neutral and they would be no better off... ADJ 4. Neutral is the position between the gears of a vehicle such as a car, in which the gears are not connected to the engine. Graham put the van in neutral and jumped out into the road. N-UNCOUNT: oft into/in N 5. In an electrical device or system, the neutral wire is one of the three wires needed to complete the circuit so that the current can flow. The other two wires are called the earth wire and the live or positive wire. ADJ 6. Neutral is used to describe things that have a pale colour such as cream or grey, or that have no colour at all. At the horizon the land mass becomes a continuous pale neutral grey... COLOUR 7. In chemistry, neutral is used to describe things that are neither acid nor alkaline. Pure water is neutral with a pH of 7. ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Indifferent, impartial, neuter, of neither party, taking no part with either side. 2. Indifferent, mediocre.

Moby Thesaurus

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