Home › Leadership › Innovation & Vision › catalyst

catalyst

KAT-uh-list /ˈkæt.əl.ɪst/

nounC1GRESATACTTOEFLIELTS

academicprofessionalgeneral

A person or thing that precipitates an event or change; in chemistry, a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without undergoing permanent chemical change.

Suggests that the agent of change itself might remain unchanged, but its presence dramatically accelerates or triggers a transformation in everything else.

The story behind the word. Coined in 1835 by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, 'catalysis' originally described chemical substances that helped break down or loosen chemical bonds to speed up reactions. By the early 20th century, writers began using 'catalyst' metaphorically to describe people or events that break down social inertia and spark rapid change.

Word relationships

spark: Spark is an informal, vivid term for something that starts a fire or trend, while catalyst is a more formal, analytical term that implies accelerating a complex process.
stimulus: Stimulus refers to something that rouses activity or energy, whereas catalyst specifically emphasizes initiating a transformative reaction or change.

inhibitor: An inhibitor slows down, prevents, or stops a reaction or process from occurring.

Commonly confused with

cause: A cause is the direct reason something happens, while a catalyst is the agent that speeds up or triggers the occurrence of the event.

Word family

catalyze (verb): To cause or accelerate a reaction or change.
catalytic (adjective): Relating to or causing acceleration of a reaction.

Collocations

act as a catalyst
catalyst for change
primary catalyst
economic catalyst

Example sentences

"The publication of the investigative report was the catalyst for sweeping political reforms." An analysis of historical events leading to social reform.
"Her hiring proved to be a catalyst for the entire department, sparking creativity and boosting morale." A corporate review of a successful team leader.

Memory hook

Think of a 'cattle list' (catalyst) that gets the lazy cows moving quickly out of the gate. A catalyst speeds up the action without getting lost in it.

When not to use

Do not use if the person or object is directly doing all the work of the change themselves; a catalyst is a spark, not the entire fire.

Fun facts

The catalytic converter in your car uses precious metals like platinum and palladium to accelerate the chemical breakdown of toxic exhaust gases into safer emissions.

Explore more words

catalyze, precipitate, accelerate, galvanize, ferment, enzyme