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Glite Dictionary
neutral zone

neutral zone

3 4.6
An area where no one fights or competes
  • noun
  • /ˈnjuːtrəl zoʊn/
translation icon : zona neutral
  • Twenty-five kilometers? They were right on the edge of the neutral zone—perhaps inside it by no more than a kilometer.
  • ventured into the neutral zone

And we're positioned sort of in between these, not in a neutral zone, but partaking of both, as we're going to see.

Examples

  • Obey treaty stipulations and remain outside the neutral zone.

    Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

  • The neutral zone is very small, and the ice surface itself is smaller than most college hockey rinks.

    Blog text (30)

  • In a neutral zone, you, the school representative, are not perceived to be "in charge."

    Academic text (2009)

  • The oil ministers also met promptly to create the joint company that was to operate in the neutral zone.

    Academic text (1992)

  • "In response to the attack on an oil-exploration barge a few months ago in the neutral zone in the Spratly Island chain, both the Philippines and China have stepped up naval activity in the area."

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The two countries agreed to establish a neutral zone to avoid violent conflict.

  • In the neutral zone, both parties can discuss their differences without fear of attacks.

  • During the peace talks, the delegates met in a neutral zone to ensure a safe environment.

Synonyms

buffer zone
vsneutral zone
8 4.4

An area between two sides that reduces conflict and harm

means an area where fighting or competition does not occur not just reduce it
demilitarized zone
vsneutral zone
  • Formal
8 4.8

An area where armies and weapons cannot go between two countries

applies more generally to any absence of fighting or competition beyond military bans

Antonyms

battlefield
228 3.2

An area where soldiers fight during a war

combat zone
9 5.5

An area where soldiers are actively fighting during a war

How Comfortable

safety
∞ 1.0
comfort zone
32 3.3
neutral zone
3 4.6
to stress
286 2.7

Surface Forms

neutral zone singular
neutral zones plural

Morphology

neutral + zone

The meaning is directly and predictably composed from 'neutral' (impartial, not supporting either party) + 'zone' (a region), yielding an area where no side is taken or conflict occurs. This straightforward noun phrase structure is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Neutral zone comes from the idea of making an area between two groups that belongs to neither side. The word zone shows it is a place and neutral means 'not taking sides', so the phrase came to mean a place where there is 'no fighting' or competition.