MEANING
1. A person, event, or condition that initiates or speeds up an important change.
2. A substance that increases a chemical reaction’s rate without being consumed in the overall reaction.
Use it for
identifying an event that brings an existing pressure to action; distinguishing a trigger from underlying conditions; describing something that accelerates institutional changeDistinguishes a trigger or accelerator of change from the complete explanation of that change. Academic functions: Causation / Relationships.
Words that belong together
- a catalyst for reform
- act as a catalyst
- a catalyst for change
On the page
The crisis acted as a catalyst for reform, but earlier organizing helped make reform possible.
The essay treats the publication as a catalyst for debate rather than the sole source of new ideas.
The explanation distinguishes the catalyst from a reactant used up by the overall reaction.
A catalyst can alter the reaction rate without changing the reaction’s overall equilibrium.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- catalyst
Usage notes
Countable: catalyst, catalysts. Commonly a catalyst for + change or activity. Chemical and figurative uses share the form. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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