Meaning & use
neutraliser
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Meanings
nouncountable
A substance or person that stops something from having an effect or makes it harmless.
Grammar: Countable: use a neutraliser, the neutraliser, or neutralisers.
Patterns
- a neutraliser for something
- act as a neutraliser
An alkali can serve as a neutraliser for an acid spill.
The chemical works as a neutraliser, making the poison harmless.
They added a neutraliser to the water to balance the pH.
nouncountablechemistry
In chemistry, a base that reacts with an acid to form a salt and water.
Grammar: Countable; often used with an of phrase: a neutraliser of acids.
Patterns
- a neutraliser of acids
Sodium hydroxide is a strong neutraliser of acids.
In the lab, we used a neutraliser to stop the reaction.
The neutraliser turned the acidic solution neutral.
nouncountable
A person or thing that counteracts an opposing force, influence, or threat.
Grammar: Countable; often followed by of: a neutraliser of threats.
Patterns
- a neutraliser of something
The new policy acted as a neutraliser of the opposition's arguments.
She was seen as a neutraliser of conflict within the team.
The vaccine is a neutraliser of the virus.
Word forms
| plural | neutralisers |
|---|
Common combinations
- act as a neutraliser
- This chemical can act as a neutraliser for the acid.
- chemical neutraliser
- They sprayed a chemical neutraliser on the spill.
- neutraliser for
- We need a neutraliser for this base.
- add a neutraliser
- Add a neutraliser to bring the pH back to neutral.
Synonyms and how they differ
- counteractant
- Counteractant is more formal and general, while neutraliser often implies making something chemically neutral or harmless.
- antidote
- An antidote is specifically for poisons or venoms; a neutraliser can be for acids, threats, or other effects.
Word family
- neutralize verb
- To make something neutral or ineffective.
- neutralization noun
- The process of making something neutral.
- neutral adjective
- Not supporting either side; or neither acid nor base.
Commonly confused: neutraliser or neutralizer?
neutraliser vs neutralizer
This is the American spelling of the same word; neutraliser is British.
Practice
The factory uses a chemical ___ to treat acidic waste before it is released.
Choose one answer.
A neutraliser is a substance that makes something neutral, so it fits as the object of 'uses'. 'Neutral' is an adjective, 'neutralize' is a verb, and 'neutralization' is the process, not the substance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “neutraliser”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.