in·stru·men·tal

[in-struh-men-tl]
adjective
1.
serving or acting as an instrument or means; useful; helpful.
2.
performed on or written for a musical instrument or instruments: instrumental music.
3.
of or pertaining to an instrument or tool.
4.
Grammar.
a.
(in certain inflected languages, as Old English and Russian) noting or pertaining to a case having as its distinctive function the indication of means or agency, as Old English beseah blīthe andweitan “looked with a happy countenance.”
b.
noting the affix or other element characteristic of this case, or a word containing such an element.
c.
similar to such a case form in function or meaning, as the Latin instrumental ablative, gladiō, “by means of a sword.”
d.
(in case grammar) pertaining to the semantic role of a noun phrase that indicates the inanimate, nonvolitional, immediate cause of the action expressed by a verb, as the rock in The rock broke the window or in I broke the window with the rock.
noun
5.
Grammar.
a.
the instrumental case.
b.
a word in the instrumental case.
c.
a construction of similar meaning.
6.
a musical composition played by an instrument or a group of instruments. Compare vocal ( def 8 ).
00:10
Instrumental is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin instrūmentālis. See instrument, -al1

Related forms
in·stru·men·tal·ly, adverb
non·in·stru·men·tal, adjective
non·in·stru·men·tal·ly, adverb
un·in·stru·men·tal, adjective
un·in·stru·men·tal·ly, adverb

Synonyms
1. implemental, effectual, effective.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To instrumental
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World English Dictionary
instrumental (ˌɪnstrəˈmɛntəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  serving as a means or influence; helpful
2.  of, relating to, or characterized by an instrument or instruments
3.  played by or composed for musical instruments
4.  grammar denoting a case of nouns, etc, in certain inflected languages, indicating the instrument used in performing an action, usually translated into English using the prepositions with or by means of
 
—n
5.  a piece of music composed for instruments rather than for voices
6.  grammar
 a.  the instrumental case
 b.  a word or speech element in the instrumental case
 
instrumen'tality
 
—n
 
instru'mentally
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Example sentences
Fiber optics and digital imaging have been instrumental in revolutionizing
  communication and computing.
Instrumental in developing many fundamental elements of the personal and
  notebook computers.
Other people's freedom and other people's sovereignty are not ends in
  themselves, only instrumental towards one's own advantage.
Indeed, the chocolate was no doubt instrumental in keeping your sores from
  being worse than they otherwise would have been.
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