Meanings
widget1
plural widgets
- A placeholder name for an unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product, typically as an example for purposes of explaining concepts.
Suppose we have a widget factory that produces 100 units per year...
1 more example
Damage inflicted on the rail industry supply chain, from major contractors to widget manufacturers, would have further profound nationwide consequences on an already damaged industry and wrecked economy.
2020 August 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Rail at the brink? Not yet...”, in Rail, page 3Synonyms: thingy, gizmo, sprocket, Sorted by number of Google hits, hickey, gizmo, thingy, gimmick
- A small scraping tool consisting of a blade and a handle, commonly used to remove paint from glass and other smooth surfaces.
Synonyms: scraper
widget2
plural widgets
- computingAny one of the components of a computer application's graphical user interface, such as a Cancel button or text input box that a user interacts with.
Synonyms: control
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA placeholder name for an unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product, typically as an example for purposes of explaining concepts.
nounA small scraping tool consisting of a blade and a handle, commonly used to remove paint from glass and other smooth surfaces.
nounAny one of the components of a computer application's graphical user interface, such as a Cancel button or text input box that a user interacts with.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomething unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known
nouna device or control that is very useful for a particular job
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
widget · noun
Coined by American playwright George S. Kaufman in 1924 in his play Beggar on Horseback (1924). The preface to the 1924 play credits an earlier German work from 1911 where there is an actor Elisabeth Wigge.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian джаджа, приспособление
- джаджа (džadža)unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- приспособление (prisposoblenie)modular software component
Catalan giny
- ginycomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Czech věcička, udělátko
- věcičkaunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- udělátkounnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- udělátorunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- škrabkasmall scraping tool
Dutch dingetje, prul
- dingetjeunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- prulunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
Esperanto fenestraĵo
- fenestraĵocomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Finnish vempain, vekotin
- vempainunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- vekotinunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- härveliunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- komponentticomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
- pienoisohjelmacomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
- vekotincomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
- widgetticomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
French babiole, camelote
- babioleunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- cameloteunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- spatulesmall scraping tool
- widgetcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
- widgeton-screen applet
German Schaber, Steuerelement
- Schabersmall scraping tool
- Steuerelementcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
- Widgetcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Greek μαραφέτι, γραφικό στοιχείο
- μαραφέτι (maraféti)unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- γραφικό στοιχείο (grafikó stoicheío)component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Hungarian kütyü
- kütyüunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
Irish giuirléid, giuirléid
- giuirléidunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- giuirléidcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Italian aggeggio
- aggeggiounnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
Norwegian widget
- widgetcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Polish widżet
- widżetcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Romanian spatula
- spatulasmall scraping tool
Russian ви́джет
- ви́джет (vídžet)component of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Spanish espátula, widget
- espátulasmall scraping tool
- widgetcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Swedish but see exempelprodukt, manick
- but see exempelproduktunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- manickunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- mojängunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
- prylunnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product
Turkish parçacık
- parçacıkcomponent of a graphical user interface that the user interacts with
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with widget
All rhymes →Cite this entry
widget. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widget
“widget.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widget. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “widget,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/widget.
Source: widget on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.