widower
n. countablen. a man whose wife has died and who has not married again.
n. a man who has lost his spouse by death and has not remarried.
The elderly widower lives alone in the house they once shared.
After his wife passed away last year, he became a widower and moved closer to his children for support.
The novel explores the quiet grief of a recent widower as he navigates the social expectations of his small community while maintaining his late wife's garden.
From Middle English widwer, equivalent to widow + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The masculine counterpart to 'widow'.
He is a widowHe is a widowerLearners often use the feminine form 'widow' for both genders, but 'widower' is specifically for men.
Last updated May 11, 2026