instrumentalist
noun
in·stru·men·tal·ist
ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ist 
1
: a player on a musical instrument
2
: an exponent of instrumentalism
instrumentalist
adjective
Examples of instrumentalist in a Sentence
he excels as a conductor, a composer, and as an instrumentalist
Recent Examples on the Web
Going to the movies is now nearly as niche a practice as attending a concert of instrumentalists playing German music.
—
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Brown was also the first woman to win instrumentalist of the year from the International Bluegrass Music Association.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 31 July 2025
The weight of the sound—incorporating five vocal soloists, thirty choristers, and thirty-three instrumentalists—harks back to lumbering mid-twentieth-century accounts by Otto Klemperer and Hermann Scherchen, before the original-instrument movement dictated light textures and fleet tempos.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Accompanied by a talent-rich group of Brazilian and American instrumentalists that includes keyboardist Herbie Hancock — who had played alongside Shorter in the 1960s as a member of Miles Davis fabled second great quintet — Shorter and Nascimento created something remarkable.
—George Varga, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instrumentalist
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Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Brown was also the first woman to win instrumentalist of the year from the International Bluegrass Music Association.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 31 July 2025
The weight of the sound—incorporating five vocal soloists, thirty choristers, and thirty-three instrumentalists—harks back to lumbering mid-twentieth-century accounts by Otto Klemperer and Hermann Scherchen, before the original-instrument movement dictated light textures and fleet tempos.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Accompanied by a talent-rich group of Brazilian and American instrumentalists that includes keyboardist Herbie Hancock — who had played alongside Shorter in the 1960s as a member of Miles Davis fabled second great quintet — Shorter and Nascimento created something remarkable.
—George Varga, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instrumentalist
Cite this Entry
“Instrumentalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instrumentalist. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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instrumentalist
noun
in·stru·men·tal·ist
ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl-əst
: a person who plays a musical instrument
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