Keyword

What Does Keyword Mean?

In Java, a keyword is a word with a predefined meaning in Java programming language syntax. Reserved for Java, keywords may not be used as identifiers for naming variables, classes, methods or other entities.

Techopedia Explains Keyword

There are 50 reserved keywords in the Java programming language. Because these keywords have predefined functions, they are usually highlighted with different colors in most integrated development environments (IDE) used by Java programmers.

Common Java keywords include abstract, assert, boolean, break, byte, case, catch, char, class, const, continue, default, do, for, while, switch, this and int. The keywords const and goto are reserved but not currently used by the Java language. False, null and true are reserved keywords for literal values.

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

All Articles by Margaret Rouse