Meanings
nounspyware (uncountable)
- InternetuncountablePrograms that surreptitiously monitor and report the actions of a computer user.First known use 1990s
In the end of the 90s we call^([sic]) this software spyware, there was a term for it, and now we don't use this term anymore because most of the software that we use is spyware […]
2017 December, 5:24 from the start, in Interview with hacktivist Jaromil, ArtEZ studium generale
Origin
- Englishspy
- Proto-Indo-European*sem-
- Proto-Germanic*samþuz /*samftuz
- Proto-West Germanic*samft(ī)
- Old Englishsōfte
- Middle Englishsofte
- Englishsoft
- Proto-Germanic*warō
- Proto-West Germanic*waru
- Old Englishwaru
- Middle Englishware
- Englishsoftwarebf.
- Englishspyware
Translations
Arabic بَرَامِج تَجَسُّس
- بَرَامِج تَجَسُّس (barāmij tajassus)program
Catalan programari espia
- programari espiaprogram
Chinese Mandarin 間諜軟件 /间谍软件, 間諜軟體 /间谍软体
- 間諜軟件 /间谍软件 (jiàndié ruǎnjiàn)program
- 間諜軟體 /间谍软体 (jiàndié ruǎntǐ)program
Czech špehovací software, spyware
- špehovací softwareprogram
- spywareprogram
Danish spionprogram
- spionprogramprogram
Dutch spyware
- spywareprogram
Estonian nuhkvara
- nuhkvaraprogram
Finnish vakoiluohjelma
- vakoiluohjelmaprogram
French logiciel espion, espiogiciel
- logiciel espionprogram
- espiogicielprogram
German Spyware, Spionagesoftware
- Spywareprogram
- Spionagesoftwareprogram
Hebrew רוגלה
- רוגלהprogram
Hungarian kémszoftver, kémprogram
- kémszoftverprogram
- kémprogramprogram
Indonesian perangkat pengintai, peranti intai
- perangkat pengintaiprogram
- peranti intaiprogram
Italian spyware
- spywareprogram
Japanese スパイウェア
- スパイウェア (supaiwea)program
Korean 스파이웨어
- 스파이웨어 (seupaiweeo)program
Latvian spiegprogrammatūra
- spiegprogrammatūraprogram
Malay perisian pengintip, perisian perisik
- perisian pengintipprogram
- perisian perisikprogram
- perisian intipprogram
Norwegian Bokmål spionprogramvare, spionprogram
- spionprogramvareprogram
- spionprogramprogram
- spywareprogram
Persian نرم افزارهای جاسوسی
- نرم افزارهای جاسوسیprogram
Polish oprogramowanie szpiegujące, oprogramowanie szpiegowskie
- oprogramowanie szpiegująceprogram
- oprogramowanie szpiegowskieprogram
Portuguese spyware
- spywareprogram
Romanian program spion
- program spionprogram
Russian шпио́нское ПО, шпио́нское програ́ммное обеспече́ние
- шпио́нское ПО (špiónskoje PO)program
- шпио́нское програ́ммное обеспече́ние (špiónskoje prográmmnoje obespečénije)program
Slovak špehovací softvér, špionážny softvér
- špehovací softvérprogram
- špionážny softvérprogram
- spywareprogram
- spajvérprogram
Spanish software espía, programa espía
- software espíaprogram
- programa espíaprogram
Swedish spionprogram
- spionprogramprogram
Thai ซอฟต์แวร์สอดแนม
- ซอฟต์แวร์สอดแนม (sôfwae sòt-naem)program
Turkish casus yazılım
- casus yazılımprogram
Vietnamese phần mềm gián điệp
- phần mềm gián điệpprogram
Welsh ysbïwedd
- ysbïweddprogram
Cite this entry
APA
spyware. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spyware
MLA
“spyware.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spyware. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spyware,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spyware.
Source: spyware on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.