instrumental
adjective
Did you know?
An instrument is a tool, something used to construct. It's often a tool for making music. A musical saw happens to be a carpenter's tool that can be played with a violin bow (though you probably wouldn't want to play a wrench or a pair of pliers). The musical meanings of instrumental, as in "It starts with an instrumental piece" or "a jazz instrumental", are common. But the meanings "helpful", "useful", and "essential", as in "He was instrumental in getting my book published", are just as common.
Examples of instrumental in a Sentence
Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 14 Feb. 2026
The instrumental snippets are accessed — in old-fashioned CD-ROM hover-and-click style — by clicking on band posters or photographs pictured as being taped or otherwise affixed to a wall in a bedroom with a guitar, stacks of CDs and some dirty clothes.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The recent album by the 82-year-old piano giant focuses on compositions Barron originally conceived as instrumental pieces, either set with lyrics or delivered with wordless vocal lines.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Faculty said the staff were instrumental in guiding the university’s transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring students across colleges found research opportunities.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Cite this Entry
“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instrumental. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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instrumental
adjective
Medical Definition
instrumental
adjective
