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

instrumentally

ˌin(t)-strə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

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

Future Kansas basketball guard Darryn Peterson, the co-MVP of Tuesday night’s McDonald’s All-America game in Brooklyn, New York, two days later was instrumental in leading Prolific Prep (California) to a victory in the quarterfinals of the 16th-annual Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Indiana. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025

Credit where credit’s due: Shenmue was instrumental in the development of open-world gaming, pioneered quick-time events, and also taught players the value of hard work, all on an underrated console. —Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

She is viewed as a political legend by many Democrats, and was instrumental in getting Biden to end his presidential campaign last year. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

One of the preservationists, Jan Goldsmith, was a lawyer and former Poway mayor who was instrumental in helping with the legal aspects of the land acquisition. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for instrumental

• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental
• fundamental
• governmental
• incidental
• incremental
• interdental
• monumental
• nonjudgmental

Kids 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

instrumentally

-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

Medical Definition

instrumental

adjective

in·​stru·​men·​tal ˌin(t)-strə-ˈment-ᵊl 

: operant

instrumental learning

instrumental conditioning