software
Encoded computer instructions, usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such as ROM).
Noun 3 meanings
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.
Recorded music content, as opposed to the hardware necessary for reproducing it.
Etymology
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.
Similar and opposite words
SOFTWARE at a glance
SOFTWARE has 8 letters and scores 14 points in Scrabble (S 1 + O 1 + F 4 + T 1 + W 4 + A 1 + R 1 + E 1) and 14 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #1,729 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with software
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