Thesaurus results for INSTRUMENT

Q: How is the word 'instrument' different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of instrument are appliance , implement , tool , and utensil . While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work. // the dentist's instruments

Q: When can 'appliance' be used instead of 'instrument'?

The words appliance and instrument can be used in similar contexts, but appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment. // household appliances

Q: When could 'implement' be used to replace 'instrument'?

While the synonyms implement and instrument are close in meaning, implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task. // crude stone implements // farm implements

Q: How are the words 'tool' and 'implement' related as synonyms of 'instrument'?

Tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement . // a carpenter's tools

Q: When is 'utensil' a more appropriate choice than 'instrument'?

The synonyms utensil and instrument are sometimes interchangeable, but utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity. // kitchen utensils

instrument

noun

ˈin(t)-strə-mənt

Definition of instrument next

as in certificate

a written or printed paper giving information about or proof of something a valid will is a legal instrument

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in tool

an article intended for use in work always choose the right instrument for any woodworking job

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in instrumentality

something used to achieve an end he sees scouting as an instrument for building character in young people

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in pawn

one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another the claim that the scientists are mere instruments of the tobacco companies, who pay them to produce findings that are highly suspect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word instrument different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of instrument are appliance, implement, tool, and utensil. While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

When can appliance be used instead of instrument?

The words appliance and instrument can be used in similar contexts, but appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

When could implement be used to replace instrument?

While the synonyms implement and instrument are close in meaning, implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements

farm implements

How are the words tool and implement related as synonyms of instrument?

Tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement.

a carpenter's tools

When is utensil a more appropriate choice than instrument?

The synonyms utensil and instrument are sometimes interchangeable, but utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

Examples 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 instrument Although recent air-quality index readings would appear to be safe, officials are cautioning that some wildfire ash is too large to be detected by their instruments and will not be captured by air monitors. —

Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025 Spot Bitcoin ETFs are financial instruments tracking Bitcoin’s price by holding the actual cryptocurrency in reserve and backing each share of the ETF with real Bitcoin. —

Alexandra Andhov, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 Similarly, an instrument aboard NOAA’s JPSS-2 satellite, NOAA-21, took this picture also highlighting the hotspots from the fire and the length of the smoke plume extending out over the ocean. —

Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 8 Jan. 2025 Today’s early systems already require thousands of specialty parts, tools, and instruments; sophisticated fabrication and cryogenic facilities; and world-class mastery in dozens of technical areas, all supported by billions of dollars of investment in research and development. —

Charina Chou, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for instrument

Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrument

Noun

Those documents include passports issued by the Department of State, social security cards issued by the Social Security Administration and certificates of citizenship issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.

— Brian Bennett, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025
The owner of the dividend certificate will be entitled to the dividends paid by Microsoft on the common share, and the appreciation certificate will represent entitlement to everything else.

— Gene A. Grant II, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025