instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

1

a

: serving as a crucial means, agent, or tool

was instrumental in organizing the strike

b

: of, relating to, or done with an instrument or tool

2

: relating to, composed for, or performed on a musical instrument

3

: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case or form expressing means or agency

4

: of or relating to instrumentalism

5

: operant sense 3

instrumental learning

instrumental conditioning

instrumental noun

instrumentally

ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

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

They played instrumental music at the wedding.

an instrumental version of a song

Recent Examples on the Web

This wildly successful Christmas album is the brainchild of composer and producer Chip Davis, who curated its largely instrumental takes on Christmas classics after years of working on his own jazz-rock chops. —Stephanie Kaloi and James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 Dec. 2024

An acclaimed property that was instrumental in establishing Mondigliana in Emilia-Romagna as an ideal place to make soulful, excellent Sangiovese wines started to slide into obscurity tragically. —Cathrine Todd, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

Torres joined the Lions in 2022 and was instrumental in them winning their first trophy in the MLS that same year (Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup). —Staff Reports, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024

Musk was instrumental in sinking the bill introduced by Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, earlier this week. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl 

1

a

: acting as an instrument or means

was instrumental in organizing the club

b

: of, relating to, or done with an instrument

instrumental error

2

: relating to, composed for, or performed on a musical instrument

an unusual instrumental arrangement

instrumentally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

Medical Definition

instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl 

: operant

instrumental learning

instrumental conditioning