instrumental Hear it!

instrumental Definition

in·stru·men·tal (in′strə ment′'l)

adjective

  1. serving as a means; helpful (in bringing something about)
  2. of or performed with an instrument or tool
  3. of, performed on, or written for a musical instrument or instruments
  4. of or in keeping with instrumentalism
  5. Gram. designating, of, or in the case of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives expressing means or agency

Etymology: ME < MFr < ML instrumentalis

noun

  1. a composition for a musical instrument or instruments
  2. Gram.
    1. the instrumental case: this case is expressed by inflection in Old English, Sanskrit, Russian, etc., and in English with the prepositions by or with (Ex.: OE ðȳ spere, “by the spear, with the spear”)
    2. a word or phrase in this case

instrumental Related Forms
in′·stru·men′·tally adverb
instrumental Synonyms

instrumental

modif.

partly responsible for, contributory, conducive, of service; see effective, helpful 1, necessary 1.

instrumental Usage Examples

Noun used with modifier

  • guitar: Dan is not a particularly brilliant singer and a whole evening of guitar instrumentals is not my ideal concert.
  • jazz: Two jazz instrumentals, the second of which you will know for the jazz classic ' Love Me Right ' .

Used with adjective complement

  • prove: Quaker culture proved instrumental in material and commercial advancement.

Modifies a noun

  • rationality: Very often philosophers have questioned that instrumental rationality could account for the rational structure underlying our natural languages.
  • tuition: Schools may charge for instrumental tuition given to groups of no more than four pupils.
  • ensemble: The program includes a choir, keyboard and percussion work, as well as an instrumental ensemble.
  • interlude: There are long vocal passages, split by instrumental interludes that make for some really nicely balanced songs - it's all here!
  • accompaniment: Poems were generally sung or chanted, with instrumental accompaniment.
  • virtuosity: Smart lyrics, artfully composed tuneful songs, instrumental virtuosity.

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: The music that was written for them is among the first purely instrumental music ever to be written.
  • largely: The consultation document makes the case for a largely instrumental motivation in the case of most students.
  • mainly: Reason is mainly instrumental; it needs to be guided.
  • exclusively: From the word go, this CD was a ) known to be exclusively instrumental, and b ) predominantly guitar based.
  • merely: The arguments are fundamentally moral, rather than merely instrumental.

Preposition: in

  • founding: Who would have guessed that Homerton College was instrumental in the founding of one of England's most famous football clubs?
  • establishment: They both went on to be instrumental in the establishment of the Wildlife Trust some seven years later.
  • creation: Grierson was a key figure in the development of the genre in Britain, and instrumental in the creation of the NFB itself.
  • formation: MAG were also instrumental in the formation of FEMA.
  • success: He had a very modern outlook and was instrumental in the success of the Great Exhibition of 1851.
  • development: Coach Mace has been instrumental in the development of women's boxing at Oxford.