instrumentalist
instrumentalist Lexical Profile
instrumentalist Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A musician who plays a musical instrument, especially as distinct from a vocalist or singer.
"The conservatory's jazz ensemble is currently auditioning a brass instrumentalist for the upcoming spring tour."
An adherent of instrumentalism, a philosophical view holding that scientific theories and concepts are useful tools for predicting phenomena rather than literal descriptions of reality.
"As a committed instrumentalist, the philosopher argued that subatomic models are predictive instruments rather than exact mirrors of nature."
• adjective
Relating to or based on instrumentalism, the view that scientific theories, concepts, or social institutions should be evaluated primarily as practical tools for solving problems or achieving specific ends.
"The policy paper takes an explicitly instrumentalist approach to higher education, valuing degrees strictly by their economic return."