as in stimulus
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 catalyst
Founded by philanthropist and collector Alice Walton (daughter of Sam Walton), the facility has not only attracted visitors from around the world but has also been a catalyst that helped turn the entire metro area into a gallery of sorts.
—
Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
Will Ferrell, who in 2003 successfully leaped from SNL to the big screen with the Todd Phillips hit Old School, was a catalyst for the golden decade of big comedies that followed.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
No doubt, social media is both a window into how flawed people have always been and a self-perpetuating catalyst for further madness.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
Making imperfection its subject, art also can embrace it as an aspect of painterly form, especially if it is regarded as the catalyst for a verbal exploration.
—Moritz Scheper, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2025
Will Ferrell, who in 2003 successfully leaped from SNL to the big screen with the Todd Phillips hit Old School, was a catalyst for the golden decade of big comedies that followed.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
No doubt, social media is both a window into how flawed people have always been and a self-perpetuating catalyst for further madness.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 14 Sep. 2025
Making imperfection its subject, art also can embrace it as an aspect of painterly form, especially if it is regarded as the catalyst for a verbal exploration.
—Moritz Scheper, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catalyst
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catalyst
Noun
-
Forty years ago, Donald Homa, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University specializing in memory and the visual perception of linguistic stimuli, was contacted by officials at the American Speed Reading Academy with an extraordinary tale.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The hope was that a quick jolt of stimulus (delivered without haste) could stir an economic recovery.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
However, biofuel production might turn this pathway into a tool for renewable energy, since fats can be converted into fuel.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
These black holes are born when massive stars reach the end of their nuclear fuel and can no longer support themselves against their own inward gravitational pull.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The automation tools haven’t put much of a crimp on the 27 million or so of today’s global software engineers who generally do their coding by hand.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, click here.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Although one man pulled the trigger on Charlie, this was not an isolated incident.—
Brooke L. Rollins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Deploy anomaly detection across orders, usage and billing to surface leakage signals and trigger playbooks.—
Ranganath Taware,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has declared outdoor air pollution and particulate matter Group 1 carcinogens, proven causes of lung cancer.—
Bill Frist,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Global Perspective Fibroids affect millions of women around the world, but there is still little known about their cause.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There are currently no global carbon pricing mechanisms.—
Michaila Byrne,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The underlying mechanisms involve immense pattern-matching based on vast arrays of human writing.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The special teams element is a benefit of the move more than the impetus.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
That’s really what was the first impetus for getting this to be a continuing project.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
-
That initial fight ignited a spark within her.—
Sindiswa Mabunda,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catalyst.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catalyst. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share