ENGLISH
REFERENCE

widower

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈwɪdoʊɝ// UK //wˈɪdəʊɐ// wid·ow·er

n. 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.


SIMPLE

The elderly widower lives alone in the house they once shared.

CONTEXTUAL

After his wife passed away last year, he became a widower and moved closer to his children for support.

COMPLEX

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.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English widwer, equivalent to widow + -er.

Usage

The masculine counterpart to 'widow'.

Pitfall

He is a widowHe is a widowerLearners often use the feminine form 'widow' for both genders, but 'widower' is specifically for men.

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