padding
/ˈpædɪŋ/
NOUN
1. Soft material used for cushioning or protection
Soft material placed inside or beneath something to make it thicker, more comfortable, or better protected against pressure and impact.
1.1. Cushioning and comfort
Soft material used in furniture, clothing, seats, or other objects to provide cushioning and comfort.
Synonyms
Examples
- The new running shoes have extra padding for comfort.
- The chair's padding has become worn after years of use.
Related Words
- cushion
- buffer
- upholstery
- interlining
- lining
- quilted material
1.2. Protective cushioning
Soft material placed in clothing or protective equipment to absorb impact and reduce the risk of injury.
Synonyms
- cushioning
- protection
- wadding
Examples
- The martial artist wore protective gear with thick padding.
- The helmet's internal padding absorbed much of the impact.
Related Words
- protective gear
- buffer
- padding layer
- protective lining
NOUN
2. Additional material used to fill space
Extra material, characters, or text added to make something occupy more space or reach a required length, sometimes without adding meaningful information.
2.1. Unnecessary or irrelevant content
Words, sentences, or other material added to a document, speech, or presentation merely to increase its length or fill space.
Synonyms
- filler
- elaboration
- embellishment
- overstatement
- exaggeration
Antonyms
- understatement
- concision
Examples
- The report contained too much padding and very little useful information.
- The editor removed unnecessary padding from the article.
Related Words
- verbosity
- redundancy
- fluff
- wordiness
- superfluous content
2.2. Characters added to fill a fixed length
Extra characters, such as spaces, inserted into a data record or message to make it conform to a required length or format.
Synonyms
Examples
- The software uses padding to ensure that every record has the same length.
- Trailing spaces were added as padding to the data field.
Related Words
- blank spaces
- character padding
- fixed-length record
- data formatting
2.3. Concealing message information
Additional text or data inserted into a message to conceal its actual beginning, ending, or length.
Synonyms
- obfuscation
- concealment
Examples
- The encryption protocol uses message padding to conceal the length of the original data.
Related Words
- message padding
- cryptographic padding
- data masking
- encryption
VERB
3. The act of stuffing or furnishing with padding
The process of filling, lining, or furnishing something with soft material to provide cushioning, thickness, or protection.
3.1. Stuffing or filling
Adding soft material inside an object or covering to make it fuller, thicker, or more comfortable.
Synonyms
Examples
- Padding the cushions requires soft and durable filling material.
- The padding of the jacket makes it suitable for cold weather.
Related Words
3.2. Increasing length with extra content
Adding unnecessary words or material to a text, speech, or presentation to make it longer.
Synonyms
- embellishing
- expanding
- amplifying
- exaggerating
- overstating
- elaborating
Antonyms
- shortening
- condensing
- abridging
Examples
- Padding the essay with irrelevant details will not improve its quality.
- The writer was criticized for padding the article to meet the word limit.
Related Words
- fudging
- overemphasizing
- overplaying
- stretching
- filler
3.3. Walking softly or steadily
Moving on foot with quiet, gentle, or measured steps.
Synonyms
- ambling
- walking
- strolling
- sauntering
- tiptoeing
Examples
- The cat was padding quietly across the floor.
- She heard someone padding along the hallway.
Related Words
- pacing
- plodding
- shuffling
- footsteps