neutralism

[ noo-truh-liz-uhm, nyoo- ]

noun

1. the policy or advocacy of maintaining strict neutrality in foreign affairs.
2. Biology. the theory that some changes in evolution are governed by random mutations that become fixed in populations by chance rather than by natural selection.

neutralism

/ ˈnjuːtrəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. (in international affairs) the policy, practice, or attitude of neutrality, noninvolvement, or nonalignment with power blocs

Derived Forms

• ˈneutralist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• anti·neutral·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of neutralism¹

First recorded in 1570–80; neutral + -ism

Example Sentences

“What the government can do is inject some neutralism into this and give consumers some actual choices. If people still choose to use Google, that is at least a consumer choice, which would better than having people stick to a default because they are conditioned to that default.”

From Washington Times

“What the government can do is inject some neutralism into this and give consumers some actual choices. If people still choose to use Google, that is at least a consumer choice, which would better than having people stick to a default because they are conditioned to that default.”

From Seattle Times

My neutralism has its limits: I will doggedly follow the progress of England’s national team in the World Cup, which is now under way in Russia.

From The New Yorker

Globalizing impulses helped bring about a flourishing of neutralism.

From The New Yorker

In the cultural arena, Mr. Novak wrote frankly of “radical feminism, gay liberation, utopian socialism and geopolitical neutralism” and “the cheaply radical young graduates of . . . Catholic universities.”

From Washington Post