text editor
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a computer program used to write and edit files that only contain plain text, without special formatting like bold or italics.
a software application used for editing plain text files, distinguished from word processors by its focus on raw character data rather than visual formatting.
Simple“Most programmers use a text editor to write their code because it is fast and simple.”
In context“While a word processor is suitable for formal reports, a text editor is the preferred tool for modifying configuration files and writing source code.”
UsageUsually functions as a countable noun; often contrasted with 'word processor'.
PitfallI wrote my essay in a text editor to make it look professional. I wrote my essay in a word processor to make it look professional.A text editor is for plain text and code; use a word processor if you need fonts, margins, and complex layout.
Synonymscode editornotepadAntonymsword processor
A compound formed from the noun text and the agent noun editor. The term emerged in the mid-1960s to describe software such as QED, developed by Butler Lampson and Peter Deutsch.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.