neuter

1 of 3

adjective

neu·​ter ˈnü-tər 

ˈnyü-

1

a

: of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to things classed as neither masculine nor feminine

b

: neither active nor passive : intransitive

2

: taking no side : neutral

3

: lacking or having imperfectly developed or nonfunctional generative organs

neuter

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the neuter gender

b

: the neuter gender

2

: one that is neutral

3

a

: worker sense 2

b

: a spayed or castrated animal

neuter

3 of 3

verb

neutered; neutering; neuters

transitive verb

1

: to castrate or spay (an animal) : alter

a neutered cat

2

: to remove the force or effectiveness of (someone or something)

Democrats say those changes would effectively neuter the bureau and hand the financial industry yet another victory over the little guy.

—Michael Crowley

Synonyms

Verb

• alter
• desex
• fix

Examples of neuter in a Sentence

Adjective

The pronoun “it” is neuter.

Verb

She had her dog neutered by the veterinarian.

The bill was neutered by the changes made by the legislature.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

As a result, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for when to spay or neuter your dog. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 3 Aug. 2024

Domestically, this will mean harsher measures to silence the voices of the opposition, to neuter political competition, and to restrict access to information. —Alina Polyakova, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2018

Noun

Adoptions include vaccinations, microchips, spay/neuter surgeries and more. —Madalyn Mendoza, Axios, 27 Sep. 2024

Routine veterinary checkups can cost several hundreds of dollars and a spay or neuter can cost between $300 and $500, according to DeGenova. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2024

Verb

But Iranian influence has stayed and Russia is back both in Syria and potentially as a supporter of Iran in Lebanon, but remains increasingly neutered by its distraction in Ukraine. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024

The law also included provisions on neutering and vaccinating stray animals before returning them to where they were found, effectively allowing stray dogs and cats to live their lives freely without uncontrolled reproduction. —Sam Delgado, Vox, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English neutre, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French neutre, from Latin neuter, literally, neither, from ne- not + uter which of two — more at no, whether entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

neuter

1 of 3 adjective

neu·​ter ˈn(y)üt-ər 

1

: relating to or being the class of words that ordinarily includes most of those referring to things that are neither male nor female

a neuter noun

the neuter gender

2

: lacking sex organs

also : having imperfectly developed sex organs

neuter

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a word or form of the neuter gender

b

: the neuter gender

2

: worker sense 2

neuter

3 of 3 verb

: castrate, alter sense 2

Medical Definition

neuter

1 of 2 noun

neu·​ter ˈn(y)üt-ər 

: a spayed or castrated animal (as a cat)

neuter

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to castrate or spay (an animal) : alter