Phrase guide

musical instrument

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: instrument

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

any of various devices or contrivances that can be used to produce musical tones or sounds

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: instrument

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: device

Narrower terms: barrel organ, grind organ, hand organ, hurdy gurdy, hurdy-gurdy, street organ, bass, calliope, steam organ, electronic instrument, electronic musical instrument, jew's harp, jews' harp, mouth bow, keyboard instrument, music box, musical box, percussion instrument, percussive instrument, stringed instrument, wind instrument, wind

History

Etymology

From Middle English musical instrumentis pl, musicalle instrumentes pl.

Across languages

Translations

118 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: musiekinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Ahtna: tnelzaeli — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Albanian: instrument muzikor — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Arabic: آلَة مُوسِيقِيَّة (ʔāla mūsīqiyya) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Arabic: الة مزيكا (alat mazzīka) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Armenian: երաժշտական գործիք (eražštakan gorcikʻ) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Armenian: նվագարան (nvagaran) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Asturian: instrumentu — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Azerbaijani: musiqi aləti — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Belarusian: музы́чны інструме́нт (muzýčny instrumjént) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Belarusian: музы́чны інструмэ́нт (muzýčny instrumént) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Bengali: বাদ্যযন্ত্র (baddojontro) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Breton: benveg sonerezh — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Bulgarian: музика́лен инструме́нт (muzikálen instrumént) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Burmese: တူရိယာ (turi.ya) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Catalan: instrument musical — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Catalan: instrument de música — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Cherokee: ᎧᏃᎩᏍᏙᏗ (kanogisdodi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Chichewa: chiyimbiro — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Chinese Cantonese: 樂器 /乐器 (ngok6 hei3) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Chinese: 樂器 /乐器 (zh-min-nan) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Chinese Mandarin: 樂器 /乐器 (yuèqì) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Czech: hudební nástroj — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Danish: musikinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Dutch: muziekinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Esperanto: muzikinstrumento — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Esperanto: muzikilo — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Estonian: pill — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Estonian: muusikainstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Faroese: ljóðføri — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Finnish: soitin — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Finnish: musiikki-instrumentti — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • French: instrument de musique — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Galician: instrumento musical — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Georgian: მუსიკალური ინსტრუმენტი (musiḳaluri insṭrumenṭi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Georgian: მუსიკალური საკრავი (musiḳaluri saḳravi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • German: Musikinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Greek: μουσικό όργανο (mousikó órgano) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Ancient Greek: ὄργανον μουσικόν (órganon mousikón) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Greenlandic: nipilersuut — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Gujarati: વાજિંત્ર (vājintra) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Gujarati: વાદ્ય (vādya) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Gujarati: સાધન (sādhan) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hebrew: כְּלִי נְגִינָה (kli n'giná) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hindi: वाद्य (vādya) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hindi: बाजा (bājā) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hindi: साज़ (sāz) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hindi: संगीत वाद्य (saṅgīt vādya) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hindi: वाद्ययंत्र (vādyayantra) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Hungarian: hangszer — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Icelandic: hljóðfæri — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Indonesian: alat musik — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Ingrian: soittu — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Irish: uirlis cheoil — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Irish: gléas ceoil — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Irish: ionstraim (cheoil) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Irish: adhbh cheoil — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Italian: strumento musicale — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Japanese: 楽器 (gakki) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Kannada: ಸಂಗೀತ ವಾದ್ಯ (saṅgīta vādya) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Kazakh: музыкалық аспап (muzykalyq aspap) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Khmer: តន្ត្រី (dɑɑntrəy) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Khmer: ដូរ្យដន្ត្រី (dou dɑɑntrəy) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Korean: 악기 (akgi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Northern Kurdish: amûrên muzîkê — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Kyrgyz: музыкалык аспап (muzıkalık aspap) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Lao: ເຄື່ອງດົນຕີ (khư̄ang don tī) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Latvian: mūzikas instruments — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Lithuanian: muzikos instrumentas — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Macedonian: музички инструме́нт (muzički instrumént) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Malay: alat muzik — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Malayalam: വാദ്യം (vādyaṁ) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Maltese: istrumenti mużikali — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Māori: taonga pūoro — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Māori: mea whakatangitangi — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Mongolian: хөгжмийн зэмсэг (xögžmiin zemseg) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Navajo: dilní bee nidaʼanéhígíí — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Nepali: बाजा (bāzā) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Norwegian Bokmål: musikkinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: musikkinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Papiamentu: musikal instrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Iranian Persian: ساز (sâz) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Iranian Persian: آلَتِ موسیقی (âlat-e musiġi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Plautdietsch: Späldinkj — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Polish: instrument muzyczny — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Portuguese: instrumento musical — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Romanian: instrument muzical — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Russian: музыка́льный инструме́нт (muzykálʹnyj instrumént) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Scottish Gaelic: ionnsramaid — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Scottish Gaelic: inneal-ciùil — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Serbo-Croatian: музички инструмент — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Serbo-Croatian: глазбени инструмент — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Serbo-Croatian: muzički instrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Serbo-Croatian: glazbeni instrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Slovak: hudobný nástroj — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Slovene: glasbeni inštrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Spanish: instrumento musical — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Swahili: ala ya muziki — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Swedish: musikinstrument — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Tagalog: panugtog — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Tagalog: instrumento — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Tajik: асбоби мусиқӣ (asbob-i musiqi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Tajik: созҳои мусиқӣ (sozho-yi musiqi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Tamil: இசை கருவி (icai karuvi) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Telugu: సంగీత వాయిద్యం (saṅgīta vāyidyaṁ) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Thai: เครื่องดนตรี (krʉ̂ʉang-don-dtrii) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Tibetan: རོལ་ཆ (rol cha) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Turkish: müzik aleti — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Turkish: enstrüman — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Turkish: çalgı — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Turkmen: saz gurallary — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Ukrainian: музи́чний інструме́нт (muzýčnyj instrumént) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Urdu: ساز (sāz) — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Uzbek: musiqa asbobi — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Vietnamese: nhạc cụ — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Vietnamese: nhạc khí — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Volapük: musigöm — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds
  • Welsh: offeryn cerdd — a device, object, contrivance or machine used to produce musical notes or sounds