English · Slang Attested

shovelware

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A haphazard collection of software assembled in terms of quantity rather than quality.

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Internet vanity broadcasts may be nice for station owner egos or 'WKRP' wannabes without a real transmission tower … But this is essentially audio shovelware, no better than dumping videos or books without interactive elements onto a CD-ROM or the Net.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Traditional media content, such as printed news reports, republished hastily on the Internet without considering the needs and capabilities of that medium.

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

Video games of low quality

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “shovelware” mean?

A haphazard collection of software assembled in terms of quantity rather than quality.

Is “shovelware” formal or informal?

shovelware is generally derogatory, slang.