as in essential
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Recent Examples of instrumental
This searching sincerity is a hallmark of Horn’s songwriting, delivering existential probing with a dry, conversational delivery and a minimal instrumental palette.
—
Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
In recent years, Barrera has been instrumental in shaping the sound of música Mexicana, working closely alongside the biggest acts in the genre, including Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Neton Vega and Fuerza Regida.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Many of the videos that include the penguin use instrumental music and touch on the bird's decision to walk away.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 26 Jan. 2026
My art teachers were very instrumental in my development.
—Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Marissa Lorusso, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
In recent years, Barrera has been instrumental in shaping the sound of música Mexicana, working closely alongside the biggest acts in the genre, including Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Neton Vega and Fuerza Regida.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Many of the videos that include the penguin use instrumental music and touch on the bird's decision to walk away.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 26 Jan. 2026
My art teachers were very instrumental in my development.
—Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrumental
Adjective
-
The pill his team developed, YCT-529, works by blocking a vitamin-A-dependent protein essential for sperm growth, temporarily rendering men infertile without affecting their testosterone levels and thereby potentially introducing related side effects.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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This scale of performance is essential for studying how materials behave under extreme conditions that cannot be replicated otherwise.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Its constraint, however, is fundamental.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Tomei warned, however, that while some extent of fundamental demand for precious metals has been a driver of the recent gains, that alone fails to justify the magnitude of the rise.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Klobuchar plans to make a public announcement in the coming days, according to a person close to the senator who spoke on the condition of anonymity and described the filing as a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
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In the case of a major snowstorm, such as one this weekend projected to be the biggest Maryland has seen in a decade, AAA urges people to stay home and avoid the road unless absolutely necessary.—
Luke Parker,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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City and Villa have not yet demonstrated the requisite consistency.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The series’ penultimate novel also serves up the requisite Regency Bad Dad (™) for Gareth and extra helpings of falling-in-love banter, which is saying something given Quinn’s penchant for quippy characters.—
Sara Netzley,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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At that point, the operator would recite the most intimate details of a patient’s health history to hook her before launching into a few basic screening questions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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Ross argued that allowing local police to provide basic crowd control — rather than restricting coordination — could have reduced risks during recent confrontations.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In elementary education, many students have suffered from unscientific reading strategies.—
Ryan Craig,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The trading cards were first developed in Japan in 1996 and had early international success as a lunch-hour activity for elementary-school kids.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Still, some worried that the indispensable man was too indispensable.—
Jake Lundberg,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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Watching thrillers or murders on TV (and now on OTT platforms) and turning into an uncritical enthusiast of plot in the evenings is similarly indispensable to openness to plotlessness during the day.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumental. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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