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
Erez Meltzer, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
In a career that stretches back three decades, the Working Title executive has been quietly instrumental in delivering some of the U.K.’s most iconic modern cinema.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025
Throughout the investigation, police said the city’s license plate reader system, as well as city cameras and private video surveillance systems, were instrumental in tying Arroryo-Roman to the killing, the warrant affidavit said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
For example, Trump, in his first term, was instrumental in negotiating the USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, only to abandon it in his second term, charging an on-again, off-again 25% tariff on some Mexican and Canadian goods.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 May 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 16 May. 2025.
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instrumental
adjective
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instrumental
adjective
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