widowed

IPA/ˈwɪdəʊd/
KK[wˈɪdod]IPA/ˈwɪdəʊd/

widowed — adjective

  • widowedpositive
  • more widowedcomparative
  • most widowedsuperlative

1. no longer married because the person you were married to has died, and you have

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

no longer married because the person you were married to has died, and you have not married again

Example

Bilal's widowed father raised three children on his own.

attributive use: widowed father

The charity provides home-cooked meals for widowed pensioners who live alone.

collocation: widowed pensioners

Common collocations
  • widowed mother
  • widowed father
  • widowed parent
  • widowed pensioner
  • widowed spouse
  • widowed resident
  • widowed at a young age
  • newly widowed
  • recently widowed
Synonyms
  • bereaved

    wider meaning — can refer to losing any loved one, not just a spouse

Antonyms
  • married

    married people have a living spouse

Grammar Patterns

widowed + noun

be + widowed

become + widowed

Usage Note

Frequently used before a noun (attributively): a widowed mother, widowed father, widowed pensioner. Can also follow a linking verb: she was widowed at 35; he became widowed after 50 years of marriage. Do not confuse with the verb 'to widen' (make wider) — the two words sound similar but are unrelated.

Common Mistakes

She widowed last year when her husband died.
She was widowed last year when her husband died.
'widowed' is a participial adjective, not a past-tense verb; it needs a form of 'be' or 'become.'
The construction crew widowed the road from two lanes to four.
The construction crew widened the road from two lanes to four.
'widowed' and 'widened' are easily confused by ear but have completely different meanings.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all four words relate to the end of a marriage, 'widowed' is the only adjective that specifically describes the state after a spouse's death. 'Bereaved' is broader — it applies to anyone who has lost a loved one through death, not necessarily a spouse. 'Widow' and 'widower' are nouns (a widow is a woman whose husband has died; a widower is a man whose wife has died), whereas 'widowed' functions as an adjective that can describe either gender. 'Single' covers never-married, divorced, and widowed people alike — it lacks the specific sense of loss. For example: 'After his wife died, Mr. Okafor was a widowed father raising teenagers' — here 'widowed' is more precise than 'single' and avoids the noun forms 'widow'/'widower' which specify gender.

bereaved ↗widow ↗widower ↗single ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • widowed mother
  • widowed father
  • widowed parent
  • widowed pensioner
  • widowed spouse
  • widowed resident

Adverbs

  • recently widowed
  • newly widowed
  • suddenly widowed

Phrases

  • widowed at a young age
  • left widowed with (children)

Prepositions

  • widowed at (age)
  • widowed by (cancer, the war, etc.)

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the noun 'widow' (a woman whose husband has died) plus the past-participle suffix '-ed'. 'Widow' comes from Old English 'widuwe', tracing back through Proto-Germanic '*widuwō' to the Proto-Indo-European root '*widhéweh₂', meaning 'separate' or 'alone'. The masculine equivalent 'widower' was formed later (14th century) by adding '-er' to 'widow'. The participial adjective 'widowed' emerged in the 1500s as a way to describe someone in that state without specifying gender.