word processors
word processors
Pronunciation
Word processors
/ˈwɜːd ˈprɒsɛsərz/
Word
/w/ - voiced labial-velar approximant
/ɜː/ - open-mid central unrounded vowel (long)
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
Proc-
/p/ - voiceless bilabial plosive
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/ɒ/ - open back rounded vowel
-es-
/s/ - voiceless alveolar fricative
/ɛ/ - open-mid front unrounded vowel
-sors
/ə/ - schwa (mid-central vowel)
/z/ - voiced alveolar fricative
/ər/ - r-colored vowel (often a schwa followed by an "r" sound, or simply an r-colored schwa)
Word Form Variations
Singular: word processor
Plural: word processors
Possessive (singular): word processor's
Possessive (plural): word processors'
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Word processor
A software application designed for the creation, editing, formatting, and printing of textual documents.
Synonyms: text editor, document creator, writing software
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it's a specific type of software. One could say "manual typewriter" as an historical antithesis.)
(Historical) A dedicated machine or device specifically built for the purpose of creating and editing text, predating the widespread use of general-purpose computers for this task.
Synonyms: dedicated text machine, electronic typewriter (advanced)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a historical device; perhaps "paper and pen" in a very broad sense.)
Examples of Use
Books: "In the early days of personal computing, the word processor was often the killer app that convinced people to buy a computer in the first place, transforming the way writers and businesses produced documents." (Excerpt from The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson, October 2014)
Newspapers: "The journalist, hunched over her laptop, typed furiously on her word processor, racing against the deadline to file her story on the local election." (The New York Times, March 2023)
Online Publications: "While many consider Google Docs to be a modern word processor, its collaborative features and cloud-based nature represent a significant evolution from its desktop predecessors." (TechCrunch, January 2024)
Entertainment Mediums (Film/TV): In a scene from the show Halt and Catch Fire, characters are shown developing and marketing early word processor software, highlighting the technological race of the 1980s. (AMC, Original Air Date 2014-2017)
Entertainment Platforms (Video Games): "Many text-based adventure games from the 1980s required players to type commands, almost as if interacting with a basic word processor, to progress through the story." (PC Gamer, July 2023)
General Public Discourse: "I need to draft a formal letter, so I'll just open up my word processor and get it done quickly." (Heard in conversation, May 2025)
General Public Discourse: "My grandmother still uses an old desktop computer primarily for her word processor; she finds it easier than learning new online tools." (Heard in conversation, April 2025)
10 Famous Quotes Using Word Processors
"In the beginning was the Word. Then came the fucking word processor. Then came the thought processor. Then came the death of literature. And so it goes." (Dan Simmons, Hyperion, 1989)
"With a 100-year perspective, the real value of the personal computer is not spreadsheets, word processors or even desktop publishing. It's the Web." (Bill Atkinson)
"The manual for WordStar, the most popular word-processing program, is 400 pages thick." (Steve Jobs, circa 1980s)
"I know perhaps a dozen people who write a great deal on word processors, and all of them concede instantly that their writing process has been changed." (Francis A. Hubbard, 1984)
"When you're using a word processor 'There's really no excuse for not writing the perfect book.'" (Anne Rice, as quoted by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum in Track Changes: A Literary History of Word Processing, 2016)
"Previously, after a certain number of versions, everything came to a halt — that was enough. Not that you thought the text was perfect, but after a certain period of metamorphosis the process was interrupted. With the computer, everything is rapid and so easy; you get to thinking you can go on revising forever." (Jacques Derrida, on word processors, as quoted by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum in Track Changes: A Literary History of Word Processing, 2016)
"I hate the new word processors that want to tell you, as you're typing, that you made a mistake. I have to turn off all that crap. It's like, shut up - I'm thinking now." (Author Unknown, BrainyQuote)
"My first word processor kept making distracting sounds that I could only silence by wedging a pencil in the guts of the machine." (Jonathan Franzen, on his early experience with a word processor, as quoted by Matthew G. Kirschenbaum in Track Changes: A Literary History of Word Processing, 2016)
"Stephen King, meanwhile, wrote a short story, “The Word Processor,” which was published in Playboy and stands as the first extended fictional treatment of the technology." (JSTOR Daily, January 2018)
"I only began to write after the advent of word processing software, because I could proof and edit easily!" (Dana, The New Atlantis, October 2016)
Etymology
The term "word processor" essentially means a "machine or system that processes words." It's a combination of two older words:
Word: This comes from Old English and has always referred to a unit of language.
Processor: This word comes from the verb "process," which means to perform a series of actions or operations to achieve a result. The "processor" part refers to something that does the processing – a person, or in this case, a machine or system.
The idea of "word processing" (the action) actually came about before the "word processor" (the machine or software) as we know it today. The concept itself is thought to have been coined in the 1950s, possibly by Ulrich Steinhilper, an IBM sales executive in Germany, who used the German term "Textverarbeitung." He used it to describe a more efficient way of handling typing tasks.
The first known use of the specific term "word processor" to describe a device or system seems to have emerged in the 1960s, with the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) citing its earliest evidence from 1968. Initially, these "word processors" were often dedicated machines that combined an electric typewriter with some form of memory (like magnetic tape or cards) for editing and reprinting text. They were a significant leap from traditional typewriters because they allowed for easy corrections and revisions without having to retype an entire document. This ability to "process" words – to manipulate, edit, and store them electronically – was the key innovation.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Word Processors
"Staring at a blank word processor screen": Refers to writer's block or the daunting feeling of beginning a new writing task with nothing yet on the page.
"My brain feels like a broken word processor": An original phrase implying mental fatigue or an inability to formulate thoughts clearly.
"As automatic as a word processor": An original phrase suggesting something is highly efficient, streamlined, and operates without much manual effort, similar to how modern word processors automate many formatting tasks.
"Just fire up the word processor": A common, casual phrase meaning to simply start the word processing application to begin writing or editing.
"Cutting and pasting in a word processor": Refers to the common editing functions, often used metaphorically to describe rearranging or reusing existing ideas or text.
"A word processor's dream": An original phrase referring to a document or task that is perfectly suited for electronic editing, perhaps one that requires many revisions or specific formatting.
"More than just a word processor": Often used in marketing or reviews to describe software that offers features beyond basic text editing, such as desktop publishing or collaboration tools.
"Living in a word processor world": An original phrase suggesting a modern environment heavily reliant on digital text creation and communication.
"Every writer needs a good word processor": A general statement emphasizing the importance of this tool for anyone involved in writing.
"The document is locked in a word processor format": Refers to a file being saved in a proprietary format that might require specific software to open or edit, similar to "locked in a file format."
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of word processors from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
