as in essential
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Recent Examples of instrumental
As chairman of the University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees, Martins was instrumental in helping guide UCF into the Big 12 — a move that elevated the university’s national profile and changed the trajectory of UCF athletics and the university as a whole.
—
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Sean — Dell was instrumental in bringing computers to a wider audience by pioneering the direct-to-consumer model in the 1980s and 90s, offering custom built PCs.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
The moving instrumental version of the lead single from the enigmatic Ocean’s 2012 debut solo album, Channel Orange, was transformed in Flea’s hands into what sounded like a lost relic from the 1940s jazz age, performed with a style and grace that breathed new life into the track.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2026
The support of Gary Mayor Eddie Melton and the Common Council has been instrumental in plans for the new shelter, Cannon said, adding that a new facility is one of Melton’s priorities in office.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Sean — Dell was instrumental in bringing computers to a wider audience by pioneering the direct-to-consumer model in the 1980s and 90s, offering custom built PCs.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
The moving instrumental version of the lead single from the enigmatic Ocean’s 2012 debut solo album, Channel Orange, was transformed in Flea’s hands into what sounded like a lost relic from the 1940s jazz age, performed with a style and grace that breathed new life into the track.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2026
The support of Gary Mayor Eddie Melton and the Common Council has been instrumental in plans for the new shelter, Cannon said, adding that a new facility is one of Melton’s priorities in office.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrumental
Adjective
-
City leaders, however, maintain that the changes threaten jobs and essential services in communities that have depended on card rooms for decades.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Resistance is likely to be strongest among European governments, still shocked by Beijing’s threats last year to cut off supplies of rare earths — essential for clean tech — and worried about further hollowing out their own green industries.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In this regard, a fundamental reorientation toward grassroots and community-based partnerships is critical, building institutional capacity from the ground up rather than top-down.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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This key milestone, overseen by the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency, and Natural Resources Wales, provides formal validation that there are no fundamental safety, security, or safeguards flaws in the SMR-300 design.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Tilling is sometimes necessary, such as when incorporating compost or manure, but limiting the frequency and intensity can help maintain soil structure.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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And despite a battery of necessary offseason changes, everything felt the same.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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On the night Illinois lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, coach Brad Underwood lamented that his team didn’t show the requisite toughness to advance beyond the quarterfinal.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Still, the plot, involving Morty’s relationship with a new character, a time warrior named Elle, along with the requisite alternative versions of Rick, is very densely knotted without the benefit of any jokes.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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So, while the dutiful reader is still turning over basic questions about the nature of witchcraft, the girls are already hurtling up the stairs and out of the basement, and Lucie is crossing paths with Isabelle, a hostile neighbor.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Accessibility Staff are trained in basic access awareness, which encourages the use of the social model of disability.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Following that thread, many nonprofits have excellent volunteer training programs for everything from crisis phone counseling to elementary inventory management.—
Amy Lindgren,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
In the past 27 years, McCall has also served as a high school administrator, elementary principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite these ongoing challenges, the biennial format continues to prove indispensable to Africa’s cultural infrastructure.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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For a country whose entire strategic identity rests on being indispensable, that may prove the most consequential loss of all.—
Joseph Epstein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumental. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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