catalyst
Americannoun
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Chemistry. a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.
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something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected.
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a person or thing that precipitates an event or change.
His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution.
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a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic.
noun
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a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself suffering any permanent chemical change Compare inhibitor
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a person or thing that causes a change
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The term catalyst is often used to refer to the prime agent of any change: “She was the catalyst for the reorganization.”
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of catalyst
First recorded in 1900–05; cataly(sis) + (-i)st
Explanation
A catalyst is an event or person causing a change. Getting kicked out of your parents' house might be a catalyst for becoming more independent. The noun catalyst is something or someone that causes a change and is derived from the Greek word katalύein, meaning "to dissolve." It can be somewhat ordinary, like when moving to a warmer climate was the catalyst for getting a short, sporty haircut. Or it can be major, like how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is said to be a catalyst of World War I.
Vocabulary lists containing catalyst
Break It Down: Cata
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This Week in Words: March 3 – 9, 2018
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Chemistry - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Robust premium demand in Hong Kong amid ongoing structural capacity constraints is a strong earnings catalyst, while the visible yield growth and effective fuel pass-through indicates upside potential for the stock, they write.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
For them, the alleged exam paper leaks had become less the movement's only cause than the catalyst for broader frustrations over jobs, opportunity, transparency and accountability.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
To be sure, top-tier tech earnings aren’t the only catalyst that could disrupt the calm in the stock market this week.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
“We open a positive 30-day catalyst watch on Telix as we think 2Q delivery will be robust and potentially ahead of consensus,” analyst Laura Sutcliffe says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Franklins reputation served as the catalyst in an exchange, as Smith of South Carolina attempted to discredit his views by observing that “even great men have their senile moments.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
“While PayPal management can continue to pursue cost efficiencies and product improvements, we don’t see other realistic catalysts capable of driving a sustained reacceleration in revenue and earnings growth,” the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
For example, gold palladium catalysts are used to produce vinyl acetate, an essential ingredient in many plastics and other products.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
For Sinner, they became catalysts for greater heights.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Hong Leong downgrades the Malaysian banking sector’s rating to neutral from overweight given the absence of immediate near-term catalysts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Hearing about Rosa Parks and her protest showed me that there is hope for me and all the students in Ms. G’s classes to truly be catalysts for change.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.