- Also called: inhibiter
a person or thing that inhibits - Also called: anticatalyst
a substance that retards or stops a chemical reaction
Compare catalyst a substance that inhibits the action of an enzyme a substance that inhibits a metabolic or physiological process: a plant growth inhibitor
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
in•hib•i•tor or in•hib•it•er /ɪnˈhɪbɪtɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- one that inhibits.
- Chemistrya substance that slows down or stops a chemical reaction.
in•hib•i•tor
(in hib′i tər),USA pronunciation n.
- a person or thing that inhibits.
- Chemistrya substance that decreases the rate of or stops completely a chemical reaction.
- Mineralogyany impurity in a mineral that prevents luminescence. Cf. activator (def. 3).
- Rocketryan inert antioxidant used with solid propellants to inhibit burning on certain surfaces.
- inhibit + -or2 1865–70
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'inhibitor' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ACE inhibitor
- MAO inhibitor
- MAOI
- activator
- anticatalyst
- antidepressant
- catalyst
- charge
- cyclohexylamine
- disinhibition
- isocarboxazid
- maleic hydrazide
- monoamine oxidase inhibitor
- negative catalyst
- phenelzine
- protease inhibitor
- pyridostigmine bromide
- sodium dichromate
- vasoinhibitor