verb · academic
neutralize
UK/ˈnjuːtrəlaɪz/US/ˈnuːtrəlaɪz/NEU·tra·lize
to make something ineffective or harmless; to counteract an effect
Examples
“Vaccination programs aim to neutralize the spread of disease.”
“The new policy neutralized the company's competitive advantage.”
“Scientists are trying to neutralize harmful chemicals in wastewater.”
Band 8 sentence
“Effective regulation can neutralize market failures that disadvantage consumers.”
Collocations
- neutralize a threat
- neutralize acidity
Word family
Common mistakes
neutralise (UK spelling) used inconsistently in an American exam→neutralize
neutralize the problem = remove the problem completely→neutralize the problem = make the problem ineffective
Say it for a higher band
5stop→6counteract→7+neutralize
Synonyms
counteract
Easily confused
counteract
“The new medicine counteracts the side effects of the treatment.”
neutral
“The country remained neutral during the conflict.”
Related words
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In -ize
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