as in means
something used to achieve an end
computer literacy is only an instrumentality for acquiring an education, and not an end in itself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instrumentality
But the instrumentality of so many of his characters seems to have reached a nadir in The City and Its Uncertain Walls.
—
Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
Moore said Tuesday, after the meeting, that the city controlling the budget would not be a legal conflict of interest, as the PAB is an instrumentality of Baltimore City.
—Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024
To effect these seizures, the FBI will simultaneously issue commands that will interfere with the hackers’ control over the instrumentalities of their crimes (the Target Devices), including by preventing the hackers from easily re-infecting the Target Devices with KV Botnet malware.
a.
—Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2024
The common thread here is a blatant, self-serving instrumentality incapable of distinguishing between the desire for order and the desire for domination, between the good of all and one’s own good.
—Jack Butler, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for instrumentality
Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
Moore said Tuesday, after the meeting, that the city controlling the budget would not be a legal conflict of interest, as the PAB is an instrumentality of Baltimore City.
—Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024
To effect these seizures, the FBI will simultaneously issue commands that will interfere with the hackers’ control over the instrumentalities of their crimes (the Target Devices), including by preventing the hackers from easily re-infecting the Target Devices with KV Botnet malware.
a.
—Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 31 Jan. 2024
The common thread here is a blatant, self-serving instrumentality incapable of distinguishing between the desire for order and the desire for domination, between the good of all and one’s own good.
—Jack Butler, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for instrumentality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrumentality
Noun
-
The instrument, which started its main work in 2021, kicked toward that goalpost by peering at various galaxies across the universe.—
Sarah Scoles,
JSTOR Daily,
31 July 2025
-
Even the original one-month extension would have been too little time to arrange for, and fine-tune, other instruments to match the previous data for scientific continuity, Cortinas said.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
The agent had a pressing question: How could his coaching clients include international athletes in the evolving NIL landscape?—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
3 Aug. 2025
-
The listing agents are anxious to share more history and information about the Charles Cheney home.—
Karen A. Avitabile,
Hartford Courant,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company launched a new business venture this week: a diner. After first floating the idea for a drive-in where Tesla owners could eat while charging their vehicles back in 2018, the company finally opened the doors to its futuristic diner Monday.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
26 July 2025
-
Prosecutors presented cell phone, DNA and vehicle tracking evidence.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
Cars, car parts and agricultural and construction machinery were among the top goods Americans bought from there.—
Kit Maher,
CNN Money,
23 July 2025
-
Now the nominations machinery is restarting, and Trump's most controversial judicial nominee is only one step away from the federal bench.—
July 21,
NPR,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
In particular, speakers pointed to the local agency’s arrest of protesters and use of pepper spray during an ICE arrest in the city this summer.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
28 July 2025
-
And free agency was largely a whiff with Brock Nelson and other top centers re-signing with their current teams.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
28 July 2025
Noun
-
Replace people with mechanisms to drive labor costs down and profits up.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
-
In a 1998 essay for The New Yorker, the author Arthur Miller described urbanites’ Depression-era coping mechanisms: People caught the breeze on open-air trolleys, climbed onto the back of ice trucks, and flocked to the beach.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
Rather than something that happens to one organ at a time, the findings suggest that aging should be regarded as a whole-body process.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Cue the organ, warm the confetti cannon and watch a dozen communities cram a lifetime of softball joy into eight delirious days.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instrumentality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumentality. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share