Langimage
English

adware

|ad/ware|

B2

🇺🇸

/ˈædˌwɛr/

🇬🇧

/ˈædˌweə/

advertising software

Etymology
Etymology Information

'adware' originates from the combination of 'advertisement' and 'software', where 'advertisement' refers to promotional content and 'software' refers to computer programs.

Historical Evolution

'adware' was coined in the late 20th century as a term to describe software that delivers advertisements to users.

Meaning Changes

Initially, it meant 'software that displays ads', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.

Meanings by Part of Speech

Noun 1

software that automatically displays or downloads advertising material (often unwanted) when a user is online.

The computer was infected with adware, causing pop-up ads to appear frequently.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Last updated: 2025/02/26 19:20