software
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software
- /ˈsɒf(t)ˌwɛə/ UK
- /ˈsɔf(t)ˌwɛɹ/ US
- /ˈsɑf(t)ˌwɛɹ/ US, cot caught merger, dialectal
- /ˈsɒf(t)ˌwɛɹ/ Canada, dialectal
- /ˈsɔf(t)ˌweː/ Australia
Sounds like softwear · Rhymes with -ɒftwɛə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Computing sense from soft + -ware, by contrast with hardware (“the computer itself”). Coined by John Tukey in 1958. The earlier sense of software to mean tangible products with a soft texture may have fallen out of common usage before the computing sense was created.
noun software · softwares
- Encoded computer instructions, usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such as ROM). Some software will only run on a particular platform.
- The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles. The Americans have devoted their attention to the hardware of disarmament: Europeans can make a special contribution to the 'software' or human content of detente.
- Recorded music content, as opposed to the hardware necessary for reproducing it. […] an extremely long playing time is achieved, which might be unnecessary from a software point of view
- Soft goods, such as textiles. In fact, under the heads of hardware, software, and agriculture, the leading interests of the colony might be said to be grouped.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: software system, firmware, courseware, computer, informatics, open-source, computing, compute, oss, programming, reader, agenda, program, source, word, hardware
Translations
Every language
noun encoded computer instructions
| Español | software, programa, soporte lógico, sóftwer |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 소프트웨어 sopeuteuweeo, 무른모 mureunmo |
| 日本語 | ソフトウェア sofutowea, ソフト sofuto |
| 中文 | 軟件 /软件 ruǎnjiàn |
| हिन्दी | सॉफ़्टवेयर sŏfṭaveyar, क्रमानुदेश kramānudeś, तंत्रांश tantrāñś |
| Kiswahili | maunzi laini |
| Português | software, programa |
| Français | logiciel, programmerie |
| Deutsch | Software |
| Italiano | software, programma, supporto logico |
| Ελληνικά | λογισμικό logismikó |
| Română | software, programe de computer, soft |
| Русский | програ́ммное обеспече́ние prográmmnoje obespečénije, софтве́р softvɛ́r, со́фтвер sóftvɛr, ПО PO, софт |
| Tiếng Việt | phần mềm, phần ứng dụng, nhu liệu |
| العربية | بَرْمَجِيَات barmajiyāt, بَرَامِج حَاسِب barāmij ḥāsib |
| עברית | תׇּכְנָה tokhná |
Talk about this word "software." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/software. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. software. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/software "software." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/software.Cite this
@misc{software_2026,
title = {software},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/software},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
