Only some reactions are called neutralization reactions. The most common are acid-base reactions, and the reason is that the consequence of the reaction is the acidity of the acid is reduced, and the basicity of the base is reduced.
A canonical example would be HCl + NaOH = NaCl + H2O. The HCl solution is a very strong acid, e.g. it will react strongly with many things, including your skin if you get it on you. Same for the NaOH solution. However the result, for an equimolar reaction, would just be a solution of table salt (NaCl) in water, which has almost zero reactivity with anything. You can drink it. So we say in this reaction the acid and base have both been "neutralized" -- their potent powers eliminated... hope this helps!
