instrumental

Meanings

Adjective

• essential or central; of great importance or relevance.
• Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, especially a musical instrument (rather than the human voice).
• Applied to a case expressing means or agency, generally indicated in English by by or with with the objective.

Noun

• The instrumental case.
• A composition written or performed without lyrics, sometimes using a lead instrument to replace vocals.

Related

Opposite words

• noninstrumental

Origin

• From Middle English instrumental, instrumentale, from Medieval Latin instrumentalis, from instruere, from in- + struere, from Proto-Indo-European *strew- ("to spread, to strew").