CATALYST Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

catalyst

noun

Definition of catalyst

as in stimulus

something that arouses action or activity Her expulsion from the university proved to be a catalyst for needed change.

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of catalyst Wright, who started Detroit City Football Club 15 years ago, has been steadfast about the sport as DCFC has been a catalyst for the sport. — Carol Cain, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 In fact, the arrest of Hoffa and the closure of the Studebaker car plant were major catalysts for the passage of ERISA. — Sheila Weinberg, Baltimore Sun, 9 Aug. 2026 While football may be the catalyst, the true impact extends far beyond the field. — Monique Carroll, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept his own race in November on a democratic socialist agenda, and has since been seen as a catalyst for similar victories by progressive candidates. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for catalyst

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst

Noun

Instead, Beijing rolled out a roughly $586 billion stimulus—equivalent to around 12 percent of China’s GDP in 2008—funneled almost entirely into infrastructure and construction.

— Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
The gloves must be applied directly to someone's skin to deliver a pain stimulus that typically helps an officer gain compliance within seconds, according to the company.

— CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of stimulus

Noun

Over the weekend, the oil company said drone strikes had hit a fuel tank and a desalination plant linked to the oil facilities in Zawiya.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Despite a series of calls that slowed the game down late in the quarter, the Dream used it as fuel to increase their communication and finish strong.

— Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of fuel

Noun

Some shops with specific scan tools that have special programming functions can permanently shut off the start/stop system on certain vehicles.

— John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs And Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
Electronic medical record tools that will summarize a patient’s hospital course for you.

— Natasha Chida, Time, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of tool

Noun

Then, 36 hours before the eggs are retrieved, the patient takes trigger medication such as Lupron, Ovidrel, Novarel or Pregnyl to initiate final egg maturation.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Alex Turner, who spent more than two years on DeepMind’s AI safety team, resigned in June, citing the Pentagon deal as the trigger.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of trigger

Noun

The medical examiner’s office ruled the manner of death as a homicide and the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head at the time of the killing, according to the arrest report.

— Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
The real causes of inflammation are dietary patterns that contain too many calories, too much sugar, or too much saturated fat.

— Marie Bladt, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of cause

Noun

But for the iconoclastic Coppola, a desire to work with an up-and-coming actor, who his friends Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese had discovered and was not yet a star, became the other key impetus to make the film.

— Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
Despite Villa reaching their zenith under Emery in May, there was a growing argument to undergo a stable transitional phase, providing youthful impetus and appearing proactive, rather than reactive, in lowering the age of the squad.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026