as in musicians
a person who plays a musical instrument
he excels as a conductor, a composer, and as an instrumentalist
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Recent Examples of instrumentalists
And the same can be said for the other recent Megadeth albums – Mustaine’s vocals often feel like a burden to the songs, and the band’s instrumentalists do most of the heavy lifting, including Mustaine himself.
—
Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
This year’s lineup will feature 18 instrumentalists and singers, including Bryan Shaw, Dan Barrett, Danny Coots, Dawn Lambeth, Duke Heitger, Harry Allen, Jason Fabus, Jason Wanner and Jon-Erik Kellso.
—Holly Alvarado, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The nonprofit's competitions are open to junior, intermediate and advanced levels for instrumentalists, vocalists, duets and chamber ensembles.
—Beth Reese Cravey, Florida Times-Union, 20 Jan. 2026
Since Chuck Berry’s first hits, rock’s most famous instrumentalists have been lead guitarists, who step out in front of the band with flashy solos.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Broadway's Ruthie Ann Miles is backed by almost 500 singers and instrumentalists; Dennis Haysbert does the readings.
—Mike Hughes, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 2025
Yet, McBride — one of the top instrumentalists and band leaders in all of jazz today — also delivered the goods during his own 75-minute set with his versatile band Ursa Major.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025
There may have been better singers, dancers, instrumentalists, performers and visual artists — but absolutely no one combined those talents as vividly as Prince did.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Headliners include perennial favorite folk-rockers Gaelic Storm, Dublin folk quartet The High Kings, modern Scottish instrumentalists Talisk, young folk singer Emma Langford and fiddler Eileen Ivers, among others.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2025
Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
This year’s lineup will feature 18 instrumentalists and singers, including Bryan Shaw, Dan Barrett, Danny Coots, Dawn Lambeth, Duke Heitger, Harry Allen, Jason Fabus, Jason Wanner and Jon-Erik Kellso.
—Holly Alvarado, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
The nonprofit's competitions are open to junior, intermediate and advanced levels for instrumentalists, vocalists, duets and chamber ensembles.
—Beth Reese Cravey, Florida Times-Union, 20 Jan. 2026
Since Chuck Berry’s first hits, rock’s most famous instrumentalists have been lead guitarists, who step out in front of the band with flashy solos.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Broadway's Ruthie Ann Miles is backed by almost 500 singers and instrumentalists; Dennis Haysbert does the readings.
—Mike Hughes, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Nov. 2025
Yet, McBride — one of the top instrumentalists and band leaders in all of jazz today — also delivered the goods during his own 75-minute set with his versatile band Ursa Major.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025
There may have been better singers, dancers, instrumentalists, performers and visual artists — but absolutely no one combined those talents as vividly as Prince did.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Headliners include perennial favorite folk-rockers Gaelic Storm, Dublin folk quartet The High Kings, modern Scottish instrumentalists Talisk, young folk singer Emma Langford and fiddler Eileen Ivers, among others.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instrumentalists
Noun
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Third, History podcasts build strong communities, with hosts gaining celebrity status and selling out live events, much like musicians, and History shows cover everything from broad overviews to deep dives into overlooked subjects like women’s history, LGBTQ+ issues, and cultural oddities.—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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But when the orchestra encounters a complex jazz composition with conflicting time signatures, dissonant harmonies or sections requiring improvisation, the musicians need greater coordination.—
Ricky J. Sethi,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The idea arose when, as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western artists began to write and create art about the preconditions and reasons behind Russia’s actions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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For many people who stream music every day, how artists and rightsholders are paid is not a primary concern.—
Shain Shapiro,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Alaska, Hawaiian are consistent performers The AQR also singled out Alaska Airlines as the steadiest performer in the industry.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instrumentalists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instrumentalists. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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