What does "softmax" mean?

A generalization of the logistic function that "squashes" a K-dimensional vector mathbf z of arbitrary real values to a K-dimensional vector σ( mathbf z) of real values in the range (0, 1).

Softmax

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A generalization of the logistic function that "squashes" a K-dimensional vector mathbf z of arbitrary real values to a K-dimensional vector σ( mathbf z) of real values in the range (0, 1). uncountable

Verb

1
Alternative spelling of softmaxx. alt-of, alternative

Etymology

Etymology 1

Coined by John S. Bridle in 1989, on the grounds of the function being "a differentiable generalisation of the 'winner-take-all' operation of picking the maximum value".

Etymology 2

From soft + -max.

Related phrases

logistic function

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.