instrumental
Other forms: instrumentally
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.
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serving or acting as a means or aid“instrumental in solving the crime”
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synonyms:
implemental, subservient
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helpful
providing assistance or serving a useful function
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helpful
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relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments“instrumental compositions”“an instrumental ensemble”
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antonyms:
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vocal
relating to or designed for or using the singing voice
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vocal
/ɪnstrəˈmɛntəl/
/ɪnstrəˈmɛntəl/
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Vocabulary lists containing instrumental
Charlie Gordon goes through an experimental treatment to increase his intelligence, with unexpected and ultimately tragic results.
Many words are constructed from the Latin root struere meaning "to build" or "to assemble." Whenever you see stru built in to a word, think of how the word relates to the concept of building. More Latin Love, Volume I lists: vocare, portare, sci, and via!
For falling in love with a human princess, a mouse named Despereaux Tilling is sentenced to death in a rat-filled dungeon.