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 The Atlanta Botanical Garden is celebrating 10 years of its International Plant Exploration Program, in which McMahan has played an instrumental role. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Gathering information, acquiring resources, keeping options open, and removing obstacles are instrumental goals, the steps that help reach it. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 In protest, Infantino’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, who was instrumental in the planning of this summer’s World Cup, announced his resignation. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026 His strategic vision, technical expertise, and collaborative leadership have been instrumental in building the platforms that support our clients today. — Jem Aswad, Variety, 30 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
  • Every season seems to bring another silhouette deemed essential — and if your closet doesn’t already contain it, well, time to go shopping.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Glamour, 31 July 2026
  • Nvidia’s chips are essential to AI data centers, pushing its business to stratospheric heights.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
Definition of essential
Adjective
  • Through the mid-1980s, Wolfram continued this work, discovering a number of fundamental connections between computation and nature, and inventing such concepts as computational irreducibility.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Bringing in overseas talent into New Zealand to boost local artists numbers has been fundamental to our approach ever since.
    — Geoffrey Bunting, IndieWire, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fundamental
Adjective
  • If monoculture is partially abandoned in certain areas, financial compensation will be necessary.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • And Cristobal will do what is necessary to make sure that standard is established before the season begins.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Definition of necessary
Adjective
  • Catherine’s story line evokes a feverish what-if scenario in which a survivor musters the requisite recklessness, talent for murder, and wig collection to mete out retribution.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
  • The requisite post-credits tag could not feel more gratuitous or useless.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
Definition of requisite
Adjective
  • Closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas once passed, has driven up the price of fuel and basic goods far beyond the region, roiling the global economy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That said, meeting the basic standard for forgiveness also involves satisfying several other important requirements, too.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of basic
Adjective
  • Teachers and staff from 63 Aurora Public Schools campuses used the resource, including preschool, elementary, middle and high school educators, counselors, therapists and special education staff.
    — Tori Mason, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Wilson grew up in Louisiana as the son of a sharecropper and ran away from home with just an elementary education.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of elementary
Adjective
  • Here are three indispensable Zen Leadership strategies that apply the principles of Bodyfulness to leading with greater resilience, joy and impact.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Over two decades, Rodríguez established herself as one of Chavismo’s indispensable figures.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 30 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 7 Aug. 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 invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All