instrumental

adjective

Definition of instrumentalnext
as in essential

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of instrumental Brazilians have been instrumental in boosting his social media following and the country’s news program Fantastico sent a reporter and crew to Cape Verde to profile his family. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026 The work features four vocal soloists who represent Native American, Sephardic, African American and Protestant religious traditions, along with instrumental music based on early American hymn tunes. — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 Throughout the war, the First Rhode Island Regiment was instrumental in several key battles, including the Battle of Rhode Island, the Battle of Pine's Bridge and the Battle of Yorktown. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 4 July 2026 Already this year, the elusive-yet-ubiquitous producer is credited on Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE’s POMPEII // UTILITY, a song with Compton’s $amaad, and an ambient instrumental tape. — Oba Awolowo, Pitchfork, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrumental
  1. essential
  2. fundamental
  3. necessary
  4. requisite
  5. basic
  6. elementary
  7. indispensable
Adjective
  • Constant vigilance and education around water safety is essential.
    — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Caftans are the underrated summer essential that bring breezy, effortless glamour to beach days, brunches, and evening plans alike.
    — Katherine J Igoe, InStyle, 2 July 2026
Definition of essential
Adjective
  • Meantime, earnings forecasts have soared, largely but not exclusively on the back of the AI-equipment bottleneck, providing plenty of fundamental cover for the tape.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • All of these detention facilities have in common a fundamental disregard for our health and well-being.
    — Brady Tillett, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026
Definition of fundamental
Adjective
  • Anything tragic that happened to minorities was inevitable and necessary.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • No contribution is necessary but encouraged once the account is open so savings can grow, the site said.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of necessary
Adjective
  • However, a number of other teams will have the requisite cap space to sign him, including the Golden State Warriors.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • Sills, whose felicity with Shakespeare’s language is so formidable as to sometimes walk off with Othello’s requisite vulnerability, did not always travel far enough down Kadri’s road.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Definition of requisite
Adjective
  • Attacks on ships — and the threat of them — virtually halted traffic in the waterway during the conflict, causing the price of oil to skyrocket and raising prices on many basic goods, including food, far beyond the region.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • If your bathroom has a basic flush mount, don’t be afraid to replace it with something more eye-catching, like a sputnik chandelier or a lantern pendant.
    — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 8 July 2026
Definition of basic
Adjective
  • Children ages 6-11, in the early elementary years, are still developing socially.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • Nelson is an accomplished educational leader with more than 20 years of experience across elementary, middle, and high school settings.
    — News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026
Definition of elementary
Adjective
  • That institutional history is indispensable, but institutions alone do not define a profession.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • By every metric, Blubaugh is blossoming into an almost indispensable piece of the Astros’ attempt to stay afloat in the American League playoff hunt.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of indispensable

Browse Nearby Words

instrument
instrumental
instrumentalist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumental. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on instrumental

Nglish: Translation of instrumental for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All