ártalmatlanítanak

ártalmatlanítanak is the third-person plural present tense form of the Hungarian verb ártalmatlanít, meaning to render harmless or to neutralize a threat, hazard, or harmful agent. It is a transitive verb and is used when specifying what is being neutralized, for example: a robbanótestet ártalmatlanítanak (they neutralize the explosive device).

The term is most common in safety, security, and emergency response contexts. It can describe procedures by authorities or specialists to remove dangers, such as disarming weapons, neutralizing hazardous substances, or mitigating threats. In public reporting, you may encounter sentences like “A tűzszerészek ártalmatlanítanak egy robbanótestet” or “A veszélyt ártalmatlanítják.” A related noun is ártalmatlanítás, referring to the act or process of rendering something harmless, and a related agent noun is ártilmatlanító (the neutralizer) or ártilmatlanító eszköz (neutralizing device).

Etymology-wise, ártalmatlanít derives from ártalom (harm) with the productive suffixes -tlan-, which yields a sense of without harm, combined with -ítás to form the noun for the act. The term is thus tightly tied to procedures aimed at reducing risk by removing or counteracting a threat.

Notes on usage: ártalmatlanítanak is typically used for actions performed by competent professionals or authorities, such as explosive ordnance disposal teams, decontamination units, or other hazard-response groups. The passive sense in Hungarian is usually conveyed through alternative phrasing, often emphasizing agency (e.g., “által a hatóságok ártalmatlanítják”).