Vocal vs. Instrumental — What's the Difference?

Of or relating to the production of sound through the mouth

An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instrumentals.

Uttered or produced by the voice

Serving as a means or agency; implemental

Full of voices; resounding

Of, relating to, or accomplished with an instrument or tool.

Tending to express oneself often or freely; outspoken

(Music) Performed on or written for an instrument.

Of or resembling vowels; vocalic.

(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being the case used typically to express means, agency, or accompaniment.

Voiced.

Of or relating to instrumentalism.

(Music) Of, relating to, or performed by singing

(Grammar) The instrumental case.

A vocal sound.

A word or form in the instrumental case.

Often vocals A part or melody that is sung in a musical performance or recording

(Music) A composition for one or more instruments, usually without vocal accompaniment.

Of, pertaining to, or resembling the human voice or speech.

Essential or central; of great importance or relevance.

(anatomy) Used in the production of speech sounds.

Serving as an instrument, medium, means, or agency.

(music) Relating to, composed or arranged for, or sung by the human voice.

(music) Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for an instrument, especially a musical instrument (rather than the human voice).

(phonetics) Consisting of, or characterized by, voice, or tone produced in the larynx, which may be modified, either by resonance, as in the case of the vowels, or by obstructive action, as in certain consonants, such as v, l, etc., or by both, as in the nasals m, n, ng.

(grammar) Applied to a case expressing means or agency, generally indicated in English by by or with with the objective.

(phonetics) vocalic.

(grammar) The instrumental case.

Uttered or modulated by the voice; expressed in words.

(music) A composition written or performed without lyrics, sometimes using a lead instrument to replace vocals.

Expressing opinions or feelings freely, loudly, or insistently.

Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was instrumental in conducting the business.

Having or exercising the power of producing voice, speech, or sound.

Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, esp. a musical instrument; as, instrumental music, distinguished from vocal music.

Syn of expressive.

Applied to a case expressing means or agency; as, the instrumental case. This is found in Sanskrit and Russian as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old English it was a separate case, but has disappeared, leaving only a few anomalous forms.

Full of voices.

Relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments;

(phonetics) A vocal sound; specifically, a purely vocal element of speech, unmodified except by resonance; a vowel or a diphthong; a tonic element; a tonic.

Serving or acting as a means or aid;

(music) A part of a piece of music that is sung.

(acting) A musical performance involving singing.

(Catholicism) A man in the Roman Catholic Church who has a right to vote in certain elections.

Of or pertaining to the voice or speech; having voice; endowed with utterance; full of voice, or voices.

Uttered or modulated by the voice; oral; as, vocal melody; vocal prayer.

Of or pertaining to a vowel or voice sound; also, spoken with tone, intonation, and resonance; sonant; sonorous; - said of certain articulate sounds.

Consisting of, or characterized by, voice, or tone produced in the larynx, which may be modified, either by resonance, as in the case of the vowels, or by obstructive action, as in certain consonants, such as v, l, etc., or by both, as in the nasals m, n, ng; sonant; intonated; voiced. See Voice, and Vowel, also Guide to Pronunciation, 199-202.

A vocal sound; specifically, a purely vocal element of speech, unmodified except by resonance; a vowel or a diphthong; a tonic element; a tonic; - distinguished from a subvocal, and a nonvocal.

A man who has a right to vote in certain elections.

Relating to or designed for or using the singing voice;

Having or using the power to produce speech or sound;

Using the voice in song;

Given to expressing yourself freely or insistently;

Using the voice in speech;

Full of the sound of voices;