Word for something that causes a reaction

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

/ ˈkæt l ɪst /

See synonyms for: catalyst / catalysts on Thesaurus.com

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

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

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

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.

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

A catalyst means "something that causes activity, an event, or change." And usually, these events and changes are big. But, can a catalyst be a person?

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First recorded in 1900–05; cataly(sis) + (-i)st

self-cat·a·lyst, nounsem·i·cat·a·lyst, noun

Catalonian, catalpa, catalufa, catalyse, catalysis, catalyst, catalytic, catalytic converter, catalytic cracker, catalytic cracking, catalyze

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

impetus, incentive, motivation, stimulant, adjuvant, agitator, enzyme, goad, impulse, incendiary, incitation, incitement, reactant, reactionary, spur, synergist, spark plug

South Africa provides 84% of the platinum group metals needed for fuel cells and automotive catalysts.
That time spent in Ghana and across West and sub-Saharan Africa became my catalyst for starting Tala, and I regularly encourage my team members to take on a “figure it out!”
Floyd’s death was the catalyst for this year’s earlier protests, and Blake’s shooting reignited the demonstrations.
So, more than anything, the endorsement was a catalyst for us to actually say let’s do something, we don’t have to sit around and wait on what are we going to do, endorse or not endorse.

Brittney Sykes is a defensive catalyst for the Sparks and dramatically improved her efficiency from two.
But the copper performs another important function: working as a catalyst in the distillation process.
Brunch is a catalyst, brunch is the enforcer of different-rules-for-the-weekend.
We are proud that our film could be a catalyst for even a small change in the ways these boys are treated in China.
Other non-design services, like Adobe Business Catalyst, which hosts email fundraising campaigns and e-commerce, also went down.
And that question is the catalyst for all the ambiguity throughout the film.
This simple act may have been the catalyst which gave Burl the solution to the problem.
The Forgotten Planet|Murray Leinster
We may, then, compare the catalyst to what is known as "a good mixer" in society.
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson
The tactful hostess, the salon leader, is a social catalyst.
Creative Chemistry|Edwin E. Slosson
When hydrogen peroxide comes in contact with a catalyst, such as permanganate of potash, it breaks down into oxygen and water.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
The catalyst which was necessary for the final reaction would be brought to him by Polter.
Beyond the Vanishing Point|Raymond King Cummings

a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself suffering any permanent chemical changeCompare inhibitor (def. 2)

a person or thing that causes a change

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

catalytic adjective (kăt′l-ĭt′ĭk)

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

The term catalyst is often used to refer to the prime agent of any change: “She was the catalyst for the reorganization.”

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cistvaennoun | [kist-vahyn ]

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