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
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Example Sentences
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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
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For Brentford, the end can often be said to justify the means.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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How To Keep Skunks Away Removing potential food sources and excluding skunks from an area are the most effective means of keeping them away from your home.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For deep-space science, the ability to launch heavier, more complex instruments means more ambitious missions, from sample-return expeditions to Jupiter’s moons to large-scale observatories parked in distant orbits.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
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D’Angelo played all of the instruments himself, and used mostly analog recording equipment.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Two of Beane’s top free-agent signings, defensive end Michael Hoecht and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, are returning from six-game suspensions for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Secret Service agents, immigration and border officers, airport security screeners, Coast Guard personnel, and Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency workers remain on the job.—
Terry Moseley,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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They were ordered to leave everything, even their purses, inside the vehicle, according to a witness.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Siemens is investing €650 million ($754 million) in decarbonizing its business, which includes electrifying its 43,000 strong global vehicle fleet by 2030.—
Andrew Saunders,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If that awareness spreads to other highly tariffed sectors, from furniture to heavy machinery, this administration may unintentionally succeed in unlocking widespread adoption of circularity that has eluded its backers for decades.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
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Even well into the 1930s, America’s defense machinery was woefully lacking, especially in the critical transport of material and personnel.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Political parties, media brands, and government agencies turn out to be just a collection of individuals vulnerable to pressure and attack.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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The agency attributed the quote to an unnamed spokesperson and did not respond to a request for clarification.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes, the work investigated the suitability of boron isotope fingerprinting techniques for studying glass dissolution mechanisms, focussing on solid-state diffusion processes during boron release.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Internally at studios and agencies, there’s confusion — and frustration — around the opt-out mechanism, according to people familiar with the matter, all of whom noted there’s no formal system for doing so and characterized Altman’s walk back as lip service.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The assessment found that PFNA interferes with human development by causing lower birth weights and, based on animal evidence, likely causes damage to the liver and to male reproductive systems, including reductions in testosterone levels, sperm production and the size of reproductive organs.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
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These findings have transformed the understanding of autoimmune diseases, cancer immunotherapy, and organ transplant science, leading to over 200 clinical trials worldwide.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instrumentality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumentality. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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