NEUTRAL Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

neutral

adjective

Definition of neutral

as in independent

not favoring or joined to either side in a quarrel, contest, or war Sweden remained neutral during World War II, refusing to join either side in the conflict

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in boring

lacking in distinctive features or qualities the hero is the novel's only fully fleshed person, all the others being rather neutral characters who are just there to advance the plot

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of neutral Body image flexibility doesn't require you to love how your body looks, or even feel neutral about it. — Margaret Cirino, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026 In the first test, 8 dogs were shown happy or neutral human faces that were unfamiliar to them, while the MRI scanned their brains. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026 The country was neutral during World War II and hasn’t faced any strong threat since the days of the Soviet Union. — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 The Downtown Neighborhood Association was neutral on Hyper's drive-thru because of the site's constraints. — Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for neutral

Recent Examples of Synonyms for neutral

Adjective

Meta is also promising to do a better job of verifying users' ages and has agreed to report regularly to an independent auditor.

— Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
The agreement also fully exempts credits for independent film — which account for 10% of the $750 million program — from the cap.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of independent

Adjective

When talking about the Gerhardt brothers, Hudson, a quarterback, and Bailen, a receiver, first-year Village Christian coach Rand Holdren says there’s never a boring moment when the two are together.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Everton have finished 13th, in the boring but comfortable reassurance of mid-table, in each of the past two seasons.

— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of boring

Adjective

On the Chinese side of the border, in the autonomous region of Tibet, the deluge overwhelmed Gyirong Port, a major border crossing with Nepal that, in scenes reminiscent of a disaster movie, appears to have been completely washed away.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
The pilot covered one subsystem, rather than demonstrating autonomous maintenance of an entire quantum computer.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of autonomous

Adjective

The Turkish government maintains that the justice system is impartial and independent.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Unlike human will, which can be self-serving, dominating, unjustly conditional, or confusingly unfair, God’s will is wise, loving, free, impartial, and infinitely insightful.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of impartial

Adjective

After months of slow progress and noncommittal MOUs, international oil companies are making tangible headway in Venezuela.

— Eugenia Perozo, semafor.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Asked in March whether a federal incentive would have to do something similar, Schiff was noncommittal.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of noncommittal

Adjective

Recently, many analysts have disputed that as too conservative, yet, many retirees don't even hit the 4% goal, according to a study by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).

— Medora Lee, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Strommen has an Instagram feed with tributes to Charlie Kirk, but that didn’t prevent her from working closely with Gorman, who, while technically in a nonpartisan position, is married to Mark Spreitzer, a progressive Democratic state senator.

— Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of nonpartisan

Adjective

Last year, Hershey prevailed in a lawsuit that claimed Reese's featureless Halloween pumpkins were a consumer letdown.

— Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
The largely featureless landscape is crucial because NASA technicians know exactly how much reflected light satellites’ optical instruments should see in the area.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of featureless

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neuters

neutral

neutralism

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“Neutral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neutral. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of neutral

adjective

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