Instrumential

Instrumential is an uncommon or nonstandard adjective in English. In contemporary usage, the term is typically considered a misspelling or variant of instrumental, which is the form preferred in most contexts. When encountered, instrumential may be intended to mean relating to or functioning as an instrument, but usage guidance generally directs readers to the standard form instrumental.

Historically, some grammars and older linguistic writings used instrumential as a term to describe the instrumental case, a grammatical category in languages such as Latin, Russian, and others. In that historical sense, instrumential would be synonymous with instrumental case, indicating the means by which an action is carried out. Today, the more common term is instrumental.

Outside linguistics, the word instrumentality or instrumental is more prevalent. Instrumental can describe music performed by instruments (as opposed to vocal music) or, more broadly, something serving as a means to an end. The form instrumential has little recognized role in modern standard English beyond historical or typographical contexts.

See also: instrumental, instrumentality, instrumentarium, instrumental case.

In summary, instrumential is rarely used in modern English and is generally superseded by instrumental. It may appear in historical texts or as a typographical variant, but it carries no distinct, widely accepted meaning beyond that of instrumental.