instrumental
/,instru'mentl/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Serving as a means or aid: Being helpful or useful in achieving a particular result or purpose.
- Relating to or performed on musical instruments: Pertaining to music played by instruments, without vocal parts.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective (Serving as a means):
- His research was instrumental in developing the new vaccine.
- She was instrumental in organizing the community event.
- Adjective (Relating to music):
- The band played an instrumental version of the popular song.
- I prefer instrumental music when I'm studying.
Advanced Usage
- Instrumental in doing something: A common collocation to describe being a crucial factor in causing something to happen.
- The new policy was instrumental in reducing traffic accidents.
- Instrumental case: In linguistics, a grammatical case used to indicate the means or instrument by which an action is performed. (e.g., in some languages, a noun suffix shows the "with what" of an action).
Variants and Related Words
- Instrumentally (adverb): In an instrumental manner; as a means.
- The data was used instrumentally to support the theory.
- Instrumentalist (noun):
- A person who plays a musical instrument.
- She is a talented instrumentalist.
- An adherent of instrumentalism (a philosophy of science).
- Instrumentalism (noun): A pragmatic philosophy of science that views theories as instruments or tools for prediction and problem-solving, rather than as true descriptions of reality.
Synonyms
- Conducive: Making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible.
- Helpful: Giving or ready to give help.
- Implemental: Serving as a means (less common).
- Orchestral: For the adjective sense relating to music, this can be a near-synonym when referring to music played by an orchestra.
Related Phrases
- Instrumental reason/ rationality: A philosophical concept referring to reasoning focused on the most efficient means to achieve a given end, often without evaluating the end itself.
Idioms
- To be instrumental: This is the core idiomatic usage meaning to play a key role in making something happen.
- Her leadership was instrumental to the project's success.
Adjective
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serving or acting as a means or aid
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instrumental in solving the crime
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relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments
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instrumental compositions
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an instrumental ensemble
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