To make something harmless, ineffective, or balanced so that it no longer has a strong effect. In chemistry, it means to balance an acid and a base so that their effects cancel out.
From 'neutral' + '-ize', forming a verb. The base 'neutral' comes from Latin 'neuter' meaning 'neither of two'.
To neutralize something is like putting equal weights on both sides of a scale until it levels out. The idea appears in war (neutralizing a threat), chemistry (neutralizing an acid), and even politics (neutralizing an opponent’s argument).
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.