CATALYSTS Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

catalysts

noun

plural of catalyst

as in fuels

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

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of catalysts Morgan Stanley downgrades Peloton to underweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley sees too many negative catalysts. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026 Why the finding matters for catalysts Copper is widely studied as a catalyst for chemical reactions including carbon dioxide reduction, methanol synthesis, and oxidation. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026 Seawater brings additional problems involving competing chlorine chemistry, catalysts, impurities, and deposits. — New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 PGMs are vital to hydrogen technology, acting as catalysts in fuel cells to power electric vehicles. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalysts

Noun

That combination of mobility, length and assertiveness fuels belief that Šmits can be a shutdown NHL defender.

— Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, colder temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere will also create higher demand for refined distillate fuels — the energy category that includes diesel.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of fuels

Noun

Those inspection tools can help manufacturers identify internal issues before propulsion hardware reaches later production stages.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Many companies now rely on AI screening tools that filter applications based on keywords rather than real qualifications.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of tools

Noun

Both come from crude oil but they're refined into different products, with different combustion mechanisms and densities.

— Willa Rubin, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Central to that notion is the cap, and its various mechanisms, designed to keep teams from wild differentials in roster spending like there is in Major League Baseball.

— David Aldridge, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of mechanisms

Noun

No deaths have been reported, and authorities are investigating the causes of the outbreaks.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Parton also made an effort to contribute to causes such as child literacy with her Imagination Library program, which mails a free age-appropriate book to children every month from birth to fifth grade.

— Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of causes

Noun

Any federal tax credit worth passing should stack automatically on top of state incentives and apply the same regardless of whether a production files from Atlanta, Shreveport, or Burbank.

— Sam Roseme, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
In July, California’s Public Utilities Commission approved new incentives of up to $20,300 for ride-hailing app drivers to buy or lease new zero-emission vehicles, and often now, ride hailers can choose to be picked up by an EV on the apps.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of incentives

Noun

Fort Lauderdale police told the Herald that their 88-camera network has already catalogued over 174 million vehicles, roughly 1,000 times the city’s population.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Musk plans to integrate Cybercabs, which lack manual controls that passengers could use to take over in an emergency, into the company’s existing cab service, which until now has used only conventional Tesla vehicles.

— Bernard Condon, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of vehicles

Noun

And there might be strategic reasons to hold Luzardo back for a potential Game 3.

— Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The move is striking for a number of reasons, ranging from the existing budget disparities between the two parties involved to the fact that the money would be used for projects that the current NIH leadership has explicitly rejected.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of reasons

Browse Nearby Words

catalyst

catalysts

catalyze

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Catalysts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalysts. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of catalysts

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

empirical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes