instrumentalism
noun
in·stru·men·tal·ism
ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ˌi-zəm 
: a doctrine that ideas are instruments of action and that their usefulness determines their truth
Examples of instrumentalism in a Sentence
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There's nothing particularly quantum-mechanical about instrumentalism.
—
Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2011
The details of genetics, the abstract models of theorists, the messy instrumentalism of the naturalists, and the physical focus of the molecular researchers, all matter.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2010
Doubtless not a few of them harbor a special disdain for American Evangelicalism, with its gaudy, prosperous instrumentalism.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2020
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Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2011
The details of genetics, the abstract models of theorists, the messy instrumentalism of the naturalists, and the physical focus of the molecular researchers, all matter.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2010
Doubtless not a few of them harbor a special disdain for American Evangelicalism, with its gaudy, prosperous instrumentalism.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Instrumentalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instrumentalism. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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