catalysts

NOUN

something which incites activity

Synonyms

STRONGEST

impetus incentive motivation stimulant

STRONG

adjuvant agitator enzyme goad impulse incendiary incitation incitement reactant reactionary spur synergist

WEAK

radical stimulus spark plug wave maker

Antonyms

STRONGEST

block hindrance

WEAK

blockage preventer prevention

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Catalysts for Korean stocks include growing foreign interest, corporate governance reforms, and strategic global positioning.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Catalysts are distributed through those powders, providing a lot more surface area for the reactions to take place.

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024

Catalysts that could cloud the outlook include unexpected weakness in economic growth, the potential for the Federal Reserve to be more hawkish than markets have priced in, and a rebound in inflation, investors said.

From Reuters • Jun. 23, 2023

The GWU sports teams won’t be known as the Catalysts, Fireworks, Independents or Monumentals.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2023

“What is so alarming to me is what this does to due process,” said Susan Kirsch, founder of Catalysts for Local Control, an advocacy group in the San Francisco Bay Area.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2021