instrumental

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The scene where the quartet plays their pre-wedding parlor game occurs about 25 minutes into Borgli’s film, and is ripe with instrumental, pre-twist subtext.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

After meeting as teenagers, he and Seals moved to California together in the late ’50s to pursue music and soon joined the Champs, who’d just topped the Hot 100 with the mostly instrumental hit “Tequila.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Mizelle said Slater and her team were instrumental in editing the draft after Woodward presented it, “including adding/deleting specific substantive terms.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Indeed, it may be instrumental in determining the fate of millions of American-born infants.

From Slate • Mar. 18, 2026

Pumphrey is an acquaintance of twenty-year-old John Surratt, the messenger instrumental in ensuring that Booth’s operation is fully funded by the Confederacy.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly