Neutralise

Neutralise, British English spelling of neutralize, means to render something neutral, harmless, or ineffective, or to counteract its effects. The term is used across disciplines and everyday language, with a common core idea of removing an imbalance, threat, or source of change.

In chemistry, a neutralisation reaction occurs when an acid reacts with a base to form a salt and water, moving the solution toward a neutral pH. In toxicology and medicine, neutralising agents or antidotes counteract toxins or poisons to reduce harm.

In security and military contexts, to neutralise a threat means to render it non-operational or harmless, typically by disabling its ability to cause harm. The term emphasizes removing capability rather than causing indiscriminate damage.

In environmental and industrial settings, neutralisation involves adjusting acidity or alkalinity, such as treating acidic spills or wastewater to achieve a target pH. It can also refer to processes that stabilise reactive materials or balance chemical systems.

In electronics and signal processing, neutralisation can describe methods to cancel or balance interfering signals, improving the integrity of a desired output. In linguistics, neutralisation refers to the loss of phonemic contrast in certain contexts, a phonological phenomenon rather than a physical action.

The noun form is neutralisation, and the verb form is neutralise. While the specific methods differ, the overarching theme is to remove a charge, threat, or imbalance so that the system or situation becomes neutral or non-problematic.