instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

1

a

: serving as a crucial means, agent, or tool

was instrumental in organizing the strike

b

: of, relating to, or done with an instrument or tool

2

: relating to, composed for, or performed on a musical instrument

3

: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case or form expressing means or agency

4

: of or relating to instrumentalism

5

: operant sense 3

instrumental learning

instrumental conditioning

instrumental noun

instrumentally

ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

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

They played instrumental music at the wedding.

an instrumental version of a song

Recent Examples on the Web

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

The senior team captain led the FCS in rushing last season (1,578) and was instrumental in the Jackrabbits’ back-to-back national championships. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024

The Civil Rights Movement was instrumental in pushing the U.S. to adopt a more inclusive immigration policy. —Matt Brown, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024

The Catholic Church also played an instrumental role in the historic rapprochement between the two countries. —Orlando Matos, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024

Throughout his career, Yoshua’s research has been instrumental in shaping the world’s understanding of AI’s potential—and that same expertise has made his perspective more essential than ever. —Geoffrey Hinton, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

Buttafuoco will be instrumental in deciding whether to renew the mandate of Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera, who has one year left on his contract following the fest’s upcoming 2024 edition. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

Its captive breeding program is one of several across the country that have been instrumental in boosting the species’ numbers. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

There’s even a moody instrumental intro like ‘Master/Slave’ from Ten. —Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl 

1

a

: acting as an instrument or means

was instrumental in organizing the club

b

: of, relating to, or done with an instrument

instrumental error

2

: relating to, composed for, or performed on a musical instrument

an unusual instrumental arrangement

instrumentally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

Medical Definition

instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl 

: operant

instrumental learning

instrumental conditioning