widower

IPA/ˈwɪdəʊə(r)/
KK[wˈɪdoɚ]IPA/ˈwɪdəʊər/

widower — noun

  • widowersingular
  • widowersplural

1. a man whose spouse passed away; he has not entered a new marriage or found a new

1.nounB2
Definition

a man whose spouse passed away; he has not entered a new marriage or found a new life partner since that loss

Example

After his wife passed away from cancer, Gabriel became a widower at forty-two.

became a widower

Paloma's uncle has been a widower for eight years and still lives on his own.

been a widower for [duration]

Common collocations
  • become a widower
  • recent widower
  • elderly widower
  • widower with children
  • young widower
  • lonely widower
Synonyms
  • widowed man

    a descriptive phrase rather than a single-word synonym; emphasizes the ongoing state of having lost a spouse

Usage Note

Exclusively a countable noun used for men; the female equivalent is widow. The state of being a widower is more commonly described by the adjective widowed, which works for either gender.

Common Mistakes

She became a widower after her husband died.
She became a widow after her husband died.
widower refers only to men; use widow for women.
The old widdower lived alone.
The old widower lived alone.
the word has only one 'd', not two.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Widower specifically refers to a man whose spouse has died and who has not remarried. Its female counterpart widow follows the same definition but applies to women — confusing the two is a common learner error. The adjective widowed (e.g., 'a widowed father of three') describes a person of either gender who has lost a spouse and works in contexts where the noun form would feel too clinical. Bereaved is a broader, more formal term covering anyone suffering a significant loss, not limited to a spouse. For example: 'The widower joined a hiking group for bereaved people, where he met both widows and widowers.'

widow ↗widowed ↗bereaved ↗

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Widower formed in Middle English (13th–14th centuries) by adding the masculine suffix -er to widow, which at that time referred to widowed people of either gender. The new word made the male meaning unmistakable. Both trace back to Old English widuwe and further to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to be empty' or 'to be separate.'