instrumental
adjective
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
Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
The film explores the unlikely and tender relationship between Naz and Ingle, and the instrumental role that Ingle played on Naz’s road to success.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
At the groundbreaking, Allen Kashani, senior project manager at Tri Pointe Homes, thanked the partners who have been instrumental in the project, consultants like Schmidt Design Group and Leppert Engineering, who have been with them since the community’s first home was built in 2002.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Boyu promises to be instrumental in helping Starbucks open stores in cities beyond Shanghai, Beijing, and China’s other megalopolises, while keeping costs in check.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Cite this Entry
“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instrumental. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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instrumental
adjective
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instrumental
adjective
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