instrumental
adjective
in·stru·men·tal
ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl 
1
a
: serving as a crucial means, agent, or tool
was instrumental in organizing the strike
b
: of, relating to, or done with an instrument or tool
2
: relating to, composed for, or performed on a musical instrument
3
: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case or form expressing means or agency
4
: of or relating to instrumentalism
5
: operant sense 3
instrumental learning
instrumental conditioning
instrumental
noun
Did you know?
An instrument is a tool, something used to construct. It's often a tool for making music. A musical saw happens to be a carpenter's tool that can be played with a violin bow (though you probably wouldn't want to play a wrench or a pair of pliers). The musical meanings of instrumental, as in "It starts with an instrumental piece" or "a jazz instrumental", are common. But the meanings "helpful", "useful", and "essential", as in "He was instrumental in getting my book published", are just as common.
Examples of instrumental in a Sentence
They played instrumental music at the wedding.
an instrumental version of a song
Recent Examples on the Web
Researchers found that artificial intelligence was instrumental in developing algorithms that could reduce the size of quantum computers needed to break encryption by a factor of 100.
—
Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The Chicago composer has achieved viral success with her melancholy instrumental music, but her return to traditional singer-songwriter fare yields mixed results.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
PanCAN is instrumental in helping with funding for these types of research.
—Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Thomas, who was instrumental in having Conway start penning Amazing Spider-Man, was also Conway’s introduction to Hollywood.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The Chicago composer has achieved viral success with her melancholy instrumental music, but her return to traditional singer-songwriter fare yields mixed results.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
PanCAN is instrumental in helping with funding for these types of research.
—Kristine Sorensen, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Thomas, who was instrumental in having Conway start penning Amazing Spider-Man, was also Conway’s introduction to Hollywood.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for instrumental
Cite this Entry
“Instrumental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instrumental. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
instrumental
adjective
in·stru·men·tal
ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl
1
a
: acting as an instrument or means
was instrumental in organizing the club
b
: of, relating to, or done with an instrument
instrumental error
2
: relating to, composed for, or performed on a musical instrument
an unusual instrumental arrangement
Medical Definition
instrumental
adjective
in·stru·men·tal
ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl
: operant
instrumental learning
instrumental conditioning
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