catalyst

American  

[kat-l-ist] / ˈkæt l ɪst /

noun

catalysts plural

1. Chemistry. a substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.

2. something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected.

3. 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.

4. a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic.

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catalyst British  

/ ˈkætəlɪst /

noun

1. a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself suffering any permanent chemical change Compare inhibitor

2. a person or thing that causes a change

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catalyst Scientific  

/ kăt′l-ĭst /

1. A substance that starts or speeds up a chemical reaction while undergoing no permanent change itself. The enzymes in saliva, for example, are catalysts in digestion.

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catalyst Cultural  

1. In chemistry, a substance that causes a chemical reaction to occur but is not itself involved in the reaction.

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Discover More

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

• self-catalyst
  noun
• semicatalyst
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• catalysts
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catalyst catalysts

"If you can trick gold into dissociating oxygen, it can actually become a very effective catalyst for certain reactions," Montemore said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

A major catalyst was hiring Adele and Stormzy's producer Fraser T Smith, whose "calming" influence helped the band refocus.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

He failed to find the net again here Friday, but he was the catalyst of the Spanish offense that laid siege to Belgium all day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Morningstar’s Kerwin also pointed to Samsung’s preliminary earnings earlier this week as a catalyst for the recent selloff.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 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

For Sinner, they became catalysts for greater heights.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Scientists are also exploring gold catalysts for applications such as removing carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust and producing propylene oxide, another widely used industrial chemical.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

“That said, we see positive price catalysts re-emerging from September including a more dovish Fed, greater focus on tighter copper physical market dynamics in 2027, and the structural medium-term bullish backdrop,” says Citi.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Semiconductors are going through a “transitory period marked by volatility,” Susanto told MarketWatch, adding that catalysts like upward earnings revisions will likely not occur in the near term.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 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

Related Words

• impetus
• incentive
• motivation
• stimulant