as in essential
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Recent Examples of instrumental
Certain aspects of it can certainly be instrumental for changes or additions to our platforms.
—
Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 15 June 2026
The instrumental break before the final chorus, with Nilles let loose on Neil Peart’s parts and Lifeson soloing like his Seventies self, was one of the many moments of uncanny resurrection on the tour so far — the essence of Rush, in full, despite the tragic absence of a key third of the band.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
The eclectic Canadian instrumental act The Sadies is conversant in surf, garage, roots rock, psychedelia and many other sounds.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026
There were a whole series of discoveries that were made that were instrumental to that capability.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 15 June 2026
The instrumental break before the final chorus, with Nilles let loose on Neil Peart’s parts and Lifeson soloing like his Seventies self, was one of the many moments of uncanny resurrection on the tour so far — the essence of Rush, in full, despite the tragic absence of a key third of the band.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026
The eclectic Canadian instrumental act The Sadies is conversant in surf, garage, roots rock, psychedelia and many other sounds.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026
There were a whole series of discoveries that were made that were instrumental to that capability.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrumental
Adjective
-
About seven years ago, Parviz Afshari—Sam’s father—lived in Karaj and worked for a conglomerate whose essential purpose was to confiscate private property from dissidents, ethnic minorities, and other people disfavored by the government.—
Laura Secor,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2026
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Funding provides emergency assistance to victims of gun violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking treated at local MedStar Health hospitals to help cover costs for shelter, clothing, food, and other essential needs.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Lurking beneath the distribution problem is a more fundamental challenge to the private equity value proposition.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 June 2026
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The system has been engineered to confine pure water within microscopic channels, thereby altering the liquid’s fundamental behavior.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Under federal law, if a doctor says a treatment is medically necessary but an insurer still denies it, requesting an external review sends the case to an independent panel, which assigns it to a doctor to review the claim and issue a binding decision.—
Vicky Nguyen,
NBC news,
11 Dec. 2025
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For those in support, mid-decade redistricting was seen as necessary to combat moves by Democratic states to gerrymander more left-leaning districts.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
11 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
The exterior is less theatrical than Disney’s, its shape rectilinear rather than curvaceous, yet a pink hue adds the requisite Gehry jazz.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
First, the requisite disclaimer.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The war displaced most of the Palestinian population of more than 2 million, left large parts of the territory in rubble and created widespread shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies asGaza’s border crossings — all but one controlled by Israel — were shut.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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The Advanced Driver Assistance System is basic lane centering (see video above for more).—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Bondi’s father, Joseph, was a professor of education at the University of South Florida; her mother, Patsy Hammer, was an elementary-school teacher.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
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There are organizations that have pioneered the effective teaching of math, especially in elementary and middle schools.—
Stanley S. Litow,
New York Daily News,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Local newspapers were once indispensable — deeply rooted in their communities and widely trusted.—
Perry A. Sook,
Fortune,
14 June 2026
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This safety feature is indispensable, which makes this new wave of thefts particularly pernicious.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumental. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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