Vocabulary Builder — Essay & Answer Writing
Instrumentalist
adjective
/ in-STRUH-men-tuh-list /
Hard
Meaning
Treating a rule, principle or institution as a means to a practical end, rather than as valuable in itself
Origin / Etymology
From 'instrument' + '-alist', via the philosophical doctrine of instrumentalism
Synonyms
Pragmatic
Utilitarian
Functional
Antonyms
Principled
Intrinsic
Doctrinaire
Example Sentence
"The Lok Sabha seat freeze was originally imposed for an explicitly instrumentalist reason: to stop states that succeeded at population stabilisation from being penalised with fewer seats."
🎯 UPSC Usage
Use in GS2 polity/constitutional-law answers to characterise a provision adopted for a practical policy purpose rather than a constitutional value, e.g., 'the freeze was instrumentalist rather than principled, which is why its permanence is now contested.'
Relevant Subjects
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