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Definition of widower

widower

/ˈwɪd.oʊ.ɚ/
wid · ow · er
Plural:widowers
•
Adjective:widowed
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widower Lexical Profile

widower Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A man who has lost his spouse by death and has not married again.

Example

"After his wife passed away, the widower dedicated much of his time to volunteering at the local community center."

Antonyms
View all antonyms for widower

Word Nuance & Usage

The term specifically designates a man whose spouse has died, distinguishing it from 'widow', which is exclusively used for a woman. It generally implies that the person has not remarried.

• Nearby Words

widow
widowbird
widowed
widower
widowerhood
widowhood
widowmaker

Word Origin & Etymology

Originated in Middle English as 'widewer', formed by adding the suffix '-er' to 'widowe' (widow) to explicitly specify a male, after the original Old English masculine form 'wuduwa' fell out of common use.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Widower. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/widower
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