English

Adjective

instrumental ‎(comparative more instrumental, superlative most instrumental)

1. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; essential or central.

   He was instrumental in conducting the business.

   • (Can we date this quote?), William Shakespeare, Hamlet, I,ii

     The head is not more native to the heart, The hand more instrumental to the mouth —

   • 2012, Christoper Zara, Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds, part 1, chapter 2, 51:

     Few songwriters have been as instrumental in creating the mold for American music.

2. (music) Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, especially a musical instrument.

   instrumental music

   • (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Babington Macaulay

     He defended the use of instrumental music in public worship.

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Dryden
   • Sweet voices mix'd with instrumental sounds.
3. (grammar) Applied to a case expressing means or agency, generally indicated in English by by or with with the objective.

   the instrumental case

Coordinate terms

• (serving as a means): final
• (music): vocal, a capella

Antonyms

• noninstrumental

Derived terms

Translations

• Italian: ^{(please verify)}strumentale

Noun

instrumental ‎(countable and uncountable, plural instrumentals)

1. (uncountable, grammar) The instrumental case.
2. (countable, music) A composition written or performed without lyrics, sometimes using a lead instrument to replace vocals.
   • 1977, Stereo Review (volume 38, page 70)

     I recommend this album in the face of the fact that five of the eleven songs are the purest filler, dull instrumentals with a harmonica rifling over an indifferent rhythm section. The rest is magnificent […]

Translations

Catalan

Adjective

instrumental m, f ‎(masculine and feminine plural instrumentals)

1. instrumental

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃s.tʁy.mɑ̃.tal/

Adjective

instrumental m ‎(feminine singular instrumentale, masculine plural instrumentaux, feminine plural instrumentales)

1. instrumental

Noun

instrumental m ‎(plural instrumentaux)

1. (grammar) the instrumental case

See also

• accusatif
• génitif
• locatif
• nominatif
• vocatif

German

Etymology

From French instrumental.

Instrument +‎ -al

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

instrumental ‎(not comparable)

1. (music) instrumental

Antonyms

• nichtinstrumental

Declension

Portuguese

Adjective

instrumental m, f ‎(plural instrumentais, comparable)

1. (music) instrumental (having no singing)
2. (grammar) instrumental (pertaining to the instrumental case)

Noun

instrumental m (plural instrumentais)

1. (uncountable, grammar) instrumental (grammatical case)
2. (countable, music) instrumental (composition without singing)

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

ȉnstrumentāl m ‎(Cyrillic spelling и̏нструмента̄л)

1. the instrumental case
2. (music) a composition made for instruments only or a (version of some) song in which only the instruments are heard

Declension

Spanish

Adjective

instrumental m, f ‎(plural instrumentales)

1. instrumental