instrumental
AdjectiveOpen English WordNet
Adjective (2)
- relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments“instrumental compositions”“an instrumental ensemble”Opposite vocalRelating to instrument
- serving or acting as a means or aid“instrumental in solving the crime”Synonyms: implementalsubservientOpposite unhelpfulSimilar helpful
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: Cf. F. instrumental.
1. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was instrumental in conducting the business.
The head is not more native to the heart, The hand more instrumental to the mouth.— William Shakespeare
2. Music Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, esp. a musical instrument; as, instrumental music, distinguished from vocal music. “He defended the use of instrumental music in public worship.” Thomas Babington Macaulay
Sweet voices mix'd with instrumental sounds.— John Dryden
3. Grammar Applied to a case expressing means or agency; as, the instrumental case. This is found in Sanskrit and Russian as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old English it was a separate case, but has disappeared, leaving only a few anomalous forms.
Instrumental errors, those errors in instrumental measurements, etc., which arise, exclusively from lack of mathematical accuracy in an instrument.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54