The difference between a sacrament and a sacrament

Most of the time, when we hear the word sacrament today, it is used as an adjective, as something related to one of the seven sacraments. But in the Catholic Church, sacrament has another meaning, such as a name, which refers to objects or actions that the Church recommends us to inspire devotion. What is the difference between a sacrament and a sacramental?

What does the Baltimore catechism say?
Question 293 of the Baltimore catechism, found in Lesson twenty-third of the First edition of the first communion and in Lesson twenty-seven of Confirmation, frames the question and answers in this way:

The difference between sacraments and sacraments is: 1 °, the sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ and the sacraments were instituted by the Church; 2 °, The sacraments give grace to themselves when we do not place obstacles on the way; the sacramentals excite pious dispositions in us, through which we can obtain grace.
Are Sacramentals only artificial traditions?
Reading the answer given by the Baltimore catechism, we might be tempted to think that sacramentals like holy water, rosaries, statues of saints and scapulars are simple artificial traditions, trinkets or rituals (like the sign of the cross) that set we Catholics apart from other Christians. Indeed, many Protestants consider the use of sacramentals as superfluous at best and idolatrous at worst.

Like the sacraments, however, the sacramentals remind us of an underlying reality that is not evident to the senses. The sign of the cross reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ, but also the indelible sign that is placed on our soul in the Sacrament of Baptism. Statues and santini help us imagine the lives of the saints so that we can be inspired by their example to follow Christ more faithfully.

Do we need sacramentals as we need sacraments?
However, it is true that we do not need any sacramentals in the way we need the sacraments. To take only the most obvious example, baptism unites us to Christ and the Church; without it, we cannot be saved. No amount of holy water and no rosary or scapular can save us. But while the sacramentals cannot save us, they are not contrary to the sacraments, but complementary. In effect, sacramentals such as holy water and the sign of the cross, holy oils and blessed candles, are used in the sacraments as visible signs of the graces conferred by the sacraments.

Isn't the grace of the sacraments enough?
Why, however, do Catholics use sacramentals outside the sacraments? Is the grace of the sacraments not enough for us?

While the grace of the sacraments, derived from the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, is certainly sufficient for salvation, we can never have too much grace to help us live lives of faith and virtue. In remembering Christ and the saints and recalling the sacraments we have received, the sacramentals encourage us to seek the grace that God offers us every day to grow in love for him and for our fellow men.