instrumental

American  

[in-struh-men-tl] / ˌɪn strəˈmɛn tl /

adjective

1. serving or acting as an instrument or means; useful; helpful.

   Synonyms:

   effective, effectual, implemental

2. performed on or written for a musical instrument or instruments.

   instrumental music.

3. of or relating to an instrument or tool.

4. Grammar.

   1. (in certain inflected languages, as Old English and Russian) noting or pertaining to a case having as its distinctive function the indication of means or agency, as Old English beseah blīthe andweitan “looked with a happy countenance.”

   2. noting the affix or other element characteristic of this case, or a word containing such an element.

   3. similar to such a case form in function or meaning, as the Latin instrumental ablative, gladiō, “by means of a sword.”

   4. (in case grammar) pertaining to the semantic role of a noun phrase that indicates the inanimate, nonvolitional, immediate cause of the action expressed by a verb, as the rock in The rock broke the window or in I broke the window with the rock.

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noun

• instrumentals
  plural

1. Grammar.

   1. the instrumental case.

   2. a word in the instrumental case.

   3. a construction of similar meaning.

2. a musical composition played by an instrument or a group of instruments.

instrumental British  

/ ˌɪnstrəˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. serving as a means or influence; helpful

2. of, relating to, or characterized by an instrument or instruments

3. played by or composed for musical instruments

4. grammar denoting a case of nouns, etc, in certain inflected languages, indicating the instrument used in performing an action, usually translated into English using the prepositions with or by means of

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noun

1. a piece of music composed for instruments rather than for voices

2. grammar

   1. the instrumental case

   2. a word or speech element in the instrumental case

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• instrumentality
  noun
• noninstrumental
  adjective
• uninstrumental
  adjective
• instrumentally
  adverb
• noninstrumentally
  adverb
• uninstrumentally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• instrumentals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of instrumental

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word instrūmentālis. See instrument, -al ¹

Explanation

Instrumental music involves just instruments — no singing. But you could also say that the conductor is instrumental to — or a critical part of — an orchestra's success. If you enjoy the ballet, part of it may be the instrumental music that accompanies the graceful movements. An instrumental song is one without a singer, and there can be instrumental passages of any song, where the band just plays and the singer is quiet. But this word also means something like useful. You could say that Martin Luther King, Jr. was an instrumental part of the civil rights movement because he was such an important part of it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instrumental instrumentals

Senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a Long Beach native, has been instrumental in integrating to his new teammates into the area, including showing his lockermate, Ellis, where to go and where not to go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

A year ago, Green was instrumental in killing off the annual "most dismal town" Carbuncle award when he refused to accept it on behalf of Port Glasgow.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

A-Baki, born to Lebanese parents, was instrumental in brokering dialogue between Ecuador and its traditional rival Peru.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The mostly instrumental “Panorama” swirls banjo, mandolin, strings and horns with droning electronics, landing on a kind of spaced-out Americana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Pumphrey is an acquaintance of twenty-year-old John Surratt, the messenger instrumental in ensuring that Booth’s operation is fully funded by the Confederacy.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

The album is split between instrumentals and songs, but the use of samples—often including pitch-shifted voices—and sense of flow make it feel like a single unified work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Even his former nemesis Wiley paid respects, posting a video of one of Ellis's instrumentals with a dove emoji.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

Frontwoman Florence Shaw speaks her poetic lyrics over the band’s hypnotic instrumentals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

And when Shults, who, along with directing the film, co-wrote and edited it, uses the superstar’s irresistible instrumentals in the movie, he marries his beautifully constructed images with sound to create some undeniably gripping sequences.

From Salon ● May 19, 2025

Hence, then, in the and why we have instrumental ablatives, or, simply, instrumentals.

From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham

Related Words

• involved