neutral

/ˈnutrəl/

/ˈnutrəl/

Other forms: neutrals; neutrally

Commonly used to describe a person who doesn’t pick sides in disputes, neutral also pegs anything that refuses to be bold: the color beige, bland clothing, people with no preferences on where to eat for dinner.

Being neutral sounds kind of boring. But neutrality is really important in some cases: Judges, for example, must remain totally neutral when hearing a case. Manners mavens say that it's best to remain neutral when topics like politics and religion come up during a party. And boxers can look to the neutral corners in the ring to escape a punch.

Definitions of neutral

1. adjective

   having no personal preference
   “a neutral observer”

   synonyms: impersonal

   nonsubjective, objective

   undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena
2. adjective

   not supporting or favoring either side in a war, dispute, or contest
   synonyms:

   nonaligned

   not affiliated with any faction, party, or cause
3. adjective

   possessing no distinctive quality or characteristics
   synonyms:

   neutralised, neutralized

   made neutral in some respect; deprived of distinctive characteristics

   viewless

   not having or expressing opinions or views

   antonyms:

   positive

   characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.

   negative

   characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features

   affirmative, affirmatory

   affirming or giving assent

   constructive

   constructing or tending to construct or improve or promote development

   destructive

   causing destruction or much damage

   optimistic

   expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds

   pessimistic

   expecting the worst possible outcome

   affirmative, optimistic

   expecting the best

   constructive

   emphasizing what is laudable or hopeful or to the good

   antagonistic, counter

   indicating opposition or resistance

   perverse

   marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict

   supportive

   furnishing support or assistance

   unsupportive

   not furnishing support or assistance
4. adjective

   lacking distinguishing quality or characteristics
   “a neutral personality that made no impression whatever”

   synonyms:

   colorless, colourless

   lacking in variety and interest
5. adjective

   having no hue
   “neutral colors like black or white”

   synonyms: achromatic

   argent, silver, silverish, silvery

   of lustrous grey; covered with or tinged with the color of silver

   ash-gray, ash-grey, ashy

   of a light grey

   blackish

   of something that is somewhat black

   black-gray, black-grey, blackish-gray, blackish-grey

   of dark grey

   blue-white, bluish-white, cool-white

   of white tinged with blue

   blue-gray, blue-grey, bluish-gray, bluish-grey

   of grey tinged with blue

   blue-black, bluish black

   of black tinged with blue

   brown-black, brownish-black

   of black tinged with brown

   brown-gray, brown-grey, brownish-gray, brownish-grey

   of grey tinged with brown

   canescent

   of greyish white

   chalky

   of something having the color of chalk

   charcoal, charcoal-gray, charcoal-grey

   of a very dark grey

   coal-black, jet, jet-black, pitchy, sooty

   black or blackish; similar in color to dust from burnt wood or coal

   cottony-white

   of something as white as cotton

   dull-white

   of a dull shade of white

   ebon, ebony

   of a very dark black

   gray, grayish, grey, greyish

   of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

   gray-black, grayish-black, grey-black, greyish-black

   of black tinged with grey

   gray-white, grayish-white, grey-white, greyish-white

   of white tinged with grey

   greenish-gray, greenish-grey

   of grey tinged with green

   green-white, greenish-white

   of white flowers tinged with green

   hueless

   of something totally lacking in saturation and therefore having no hue

   ink-black, inky, inky-black

   of the color of black ink

   iron-gray, iron-grey

   of the grey color of iron

   lily-white

   of a pure white color

   milk-white

   of a white the color of fresh milk

   olive-gray, olive-grey

   of grey tinged with olive

   dark-gray, dark-grey, oxford-gray, oxford-grey

   of a dark shade of grey

   pearl gray, pearl grey

   of a grey with a pearly tinge

   pearly, pearly-white

   of a white the color of pearls

   pinkish-white

   of white tinged with pink

   purple-black, purplish-black

   of black tinged with purple

   purple-white, purplish-white

   of white tinged with purple

   red-gray, red-grey, reddish-gray, reddish-grey

   of grey tinged with red

   sable

   of a dark somewhat brownish black

   silver-gray, silver-grey, silvery-gray, silvery-grey

   of grey resembling silver

   silver-white, silvery-white

   of a white that resembles silver

   slate-black

   of a black tinged with slate-grey

   slate-gray, slate-grey, slatey, slaty, slaty-gray, slaty-grey, stone-gray, stone-grey

   of the color of slate or granite

   niveous, snow-white, snowy

   of the white color of snow

   soot-black, sooty-black

   of the black color of soot

   violet-black

   of black tinged with violet

   white-flowered

   (of plants) having white flowers

   off-white, whitish

   of something having a color tending toward white

   yellow-gray, yellow-grey, yellowish-gray, yellowish-grey

   of grey tinged with yellow

   yellow-white, yellowish-white

   of a white tinged with yellow

   colorless, colourless

   weak in color; not colorful
6. adjective

   having no net electric charge
   synonyms: electroneutral

   uncharged

   of a particle or body or system; having no charge
7. adjective

   having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive
   synonyms: indifferent, inert

   unreactive

   (chemistry) not reacting chemically
8. noun

   one who does not side with any party in a war or dispute
   types:

   fence-sitter

   a person who won't take sides in a controversy

   stakeholder

   someone entrusted to hold the stakes for two or more persons betting against one another; must deliver the stakes to the winner

   type of:

   individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul

   a human being
9. noun

   a disengaged position, as of gears
   type of:

   gear, gear mechanism

   a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)