Origin: Latin suffix -al
Instructional has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
A book, film, etc. intended to instruct.
"The instructional video demonstrated how to properly change a tire."
In plain English: An instructional is something that teaches you how to do or know something.
"The instructional provided by the new teacher was very helpful for beginners."
Intended for purposes of instruction, for teaching.
"The instructional video was designed to help new employees learn how to operate the machinery safely."
In plain English: Instructional means something designed to teach you how to do or know something new.
"The instructional video clearly showed how to fix the leaky faucet step by step."
Usage: Use instructional as an adjective to describe materials designed specifically for teaching or learning, such as an instructional video or manual. This term is often confused with "educational," but instructional emphasizes the direct act of guiding someone through a task rather than general academic growth.
The word instructional comes from combining the noun instruction with the suffix -al to form an adjective describing something related to teaching or learning. Because its original meaning is identical to how it is used today, this formation simply created a standard descriptive term for educational materials or methods.