How to Use instrumental in a Sentence

instrumental

adjective
  • They played instrumental music at the wedding.
  • As many of you know, Rob has been instrumental in Roku’s growth.
    Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Jan. 2023
  • On balance, the group had been instrumental in that regard.
    Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2023
  • How has the Black Opry been instrumental in your career?
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2024
  • Although there is a lot of data to consider, using your intuition - ‘what feels right with a college’ - can be instrumental as well.
    Brennan Barnard, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
  • According to the multi-sport athlete, Bruce and Jan were instrumental in her and George's pursuits.
    Nasha Smith, People.com, 10 Oct. 2024
  • The clip is set to an instrumental song from the Jurassic Park soundtrack.
    Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 28 July 2024
  • Both are part of their son’s coaching team and have been instrumental in his success to date.
    George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Aug. 2024
  • Your answer will be instrumental in picking out the best pair for you.
    Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Wolveck was instrumental in helping Ralph start his CPA firm and run it.
    Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 June 2023
  • The stage is bare, and the oligarch, who played an instrumental role in Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, speaks to us from a liminal space.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024
  • Two decades later, Hasler has also been instrumental in getting the Hügu Himu loops off the ground.
    Tim Neville, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024
  • He’s been very instrumental in being our guide through all these artists and working with these artists and whatnot.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Nathan Fielder was instrumental in bringing you to HBO, is that right?
    Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 July 2023
  • Those are the dreams come true, and that song really was instrumental in that happening for us.
    Liza Lentini, SPIN, 17 Mar. 2023
  • The singer went jazzy for her rendition of the track, with her backup band reduced to just a single pianist and cellist for the instrumental.
    Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The group was also instrumental in giving the neighborhood its moniker in 1978.
    La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 8 June 2023
  • This advice has been instrumental in the success of Temlaphak Farms.
    Karthika Gupta, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2023
  • In that way, a love scene can prove as instrumental to plot and character as any other scene, Haigh argued.
    Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
  • Those changes could be instrumental in making or breaking the support from Democrats.
    Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
  • Christy Harmon, a photo editor on the Styles desk, was instrumental in tracking down the archival footage.
    John Otis, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
  • The short clip featured a montage of childhood home videos and clips of recent solo performances set to the track’s instrumental.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 4 Aug. 2023
  • For generations, the Black church has been instrumental in getting voters to the polls and fighting for access to the ballot box.
    Briana Stewart, ABC News, 22 June 2024
  • That part of the discussion resonated the most with Steven Spielberg, who was instrumental in bringing me board.
    Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 July 2024
  • Holmes, who managed Coldplay for over 20 years, was instrumental in guiding the band through some of their most successful years.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 5 July 2024
  • There’s even a moody instrumental intro like ‘Master/Slave’ from Ten.
    Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 15 Apr. 2024
  • Each peak and valley has been instrumental in our growth, pushing us to refine our craft and strengthen our resolve.
    Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 Sep. 2024
  • In front of them, Mike Baumann was instrumental in two of the Orioles’ wins this week with scoreless efforts to bridge the middle innings after the club’s starter ran up his pitch count.
    Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2024
  • Moss, a jazz fan, admired Alpert’s instrumental talent, and the pair began a label venture to showcase it.
    Chris Morris, Variety, 16 Aug. 2023
  • Tom was instrumental in starting that annual event as well as the Round Table.
    Mary Ann Ashcraft, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'instrumental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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