instrumental

[ in-struh-men-tl ]
/ ˌɪn strəˈmɛn tl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR instrumental ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

serving or acting as an instrument or means; useful; helpful.
performed on or written for a musical instrument or instruments: instrumental music.
of or relating to an instrument or tool.
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.

noun

Grammar.
  1. the instrumental case.
  2. a word in the instrumental case.
  3. a construction of similar meaning.
a musical composition played by an instrument or a group of instruments. Compare vocal(def 8).

Origin of instrumental

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word instrūmentālis. See instrument, -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM instrumental

Words nearby instrumental

instrument, instrument flying, instrument landing, instrument panel, instrument station, instrumental, instrumental conditioning, instrumental learning, instrumentalism, instrumentalist, instrumentality

Words related to instrumental

involved, active, auxiliary, conducive, helpful, helping, serviceable, subsidiary, useful, contributory

Example sentences from the Web for instrumental

British Dictionary definitions for instrumental

instrumental
/ (ˌɪnstrəˈmɛntəl) /

adjective

serving as a means or influence; helpful
of, relating to, or characterized by an instrument or instruments
played by or composed for musical instruments
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

noun

a piece of music composed for instruments rather than for voices
grammar
  1. the instrumental case
  2. a word or speech element in the instrumental case

Derived forms of instrumental

instrumentality, noun instrumentally, adverb