What does software mean?
Software consists of the programs, instructions, and data that enable computers and other devices to perform particular tasks. It may include operating systems, applications, games, utilities, firmware, and the code that connects or controls hardware. In ordinary use, the word often contrasts with hardware: software is intangible and programmable, while hardware is physical and tangible. The term can also be extended to organized methods and systems, as in a reference to the software of a business, where it means the coordinated processes, rules, and procedures that guide its operation. Because software can be copied, updated, transmitted, and adapted, it plays a central role in modern communication, commerce, research, and automation. The expression is usually treated as a mass noun, so articles and plural forms are uncommon unless a more specific noun, such as package or application, is supplied.
The programs, applications, instructions, and data used to operate computers or other devices.
"The engineers tested the software before releasing it to customers."
Normally an uncountable noun; use a term such as package, application, or program when a count is needed.
The intangible methods, systems, or procedures that support an activity or organization.
"The company invested in better software for its hiring and training processes."
This extended sense is common in business, management, and institutional contexts.
Software is the part of a computer you can’t see—and often the part that makes all its physical parts work together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does software come from?
The word is an English compound of soft and ware, with ware meaning goods or articles of manufacture. The term emerged in the mid-20th century as a counterpart to hardware, describing the non-physical instructions and information used by computers. Its use spread rapidly as electronic computing became widely established, and the ending -ware was subsequently adopted in related terms such as firmware and shareware.
How software is actually used
The word is normally used as an uncountable mass noun. “A software” is uncommon, although “software package” and “software system” are standard constructions. In computing, it is conventionally contrasted with hardware; in broader organizational use, it can contrast with physical equipment, rules, or personal effort.
Easily confused with software
Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer or other device, whereas software refers to the programs and instructions that operate on them.