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Definition of vaporware

vaporware

/ˈveɪ.pɚˌwɛɹ/
(UK: vapourware)
va · por · ware
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vaporware Lexical Profile

vaporware Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

Computer software or hardware that has been advertised and promoted to the public but is not yet available to buy, either because it is only a concept or because it is still being written or designed and may never be released.

Example

"After three years of missed deadlines and flashy trailers, industry analysts dismissed the startup's promised console as pure vaporware."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for vaporware

• Rhymes for vaporware

• Nearby Words

vaporless
vaporous
vapors
vaporware
vaquita
varanasi
vardar

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the early 1980s in the technology industry as a blend of 'vapor' and 'software', originally used by Microsoft engineers and technology journalists to describe heavily promoted software that failed to materialize.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Vaporware. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/vaporware
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