Origin: Latin suffix -al
Instrumental has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
The instrumental case.
"In many languages, the accusative and dative cases are often called the objective or instrumental cases."
relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments
"instrumental compositions"
"an instrumental ensemble"
serving or acting as a means or aid
"instrumental in solving the crime"
essential or central; of great importance or relevance.
"Her leadership was instrumental in securing the funding needed to launch the new research center."
In plain English: Instrumental means being used as a tool to help achieve something rather than doing it directly yourself.
"The new teacher was instrumental in helping the students improve their reading skills."
Usage: Use instrumental to describe something that played an essential role in achieving a result, rather than merely being present. This adjective often appears after the preposition "to," as in music was instrumental to their success.
The word comes from the Medieval Latin īnstrūmentālis, which is formed by combining "instrument" with the suffix "-al." It entered English via Middle English as instrumental.