widowed

American  

[wid-ohd] / ˈwɪd oʊd /

adjective

1. having lost one’s spouse to death.

   The author has created a believably deluded narrator, a popular high school senior who plays football and lives with his widowed father.

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noun

1. Usually the widowed a person or persons who have lost a spouse to death.

   How do we offer strength and support to the aging, the widowed, the displaced, and others whose lives have been disrupted?

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of widow.

Other Word Forms

• unwidowed
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of widowed

widow ( def. ) + -ed ³ ( def. )

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Explanation

If you know someone whose husband or wife has died, you can describe that person as widowed. The widowed lady next door may have lost her husband many years ago. A man whose spouse has died is typically called a widower, while a woman is a widow. Both men and women can be described with the adjective widowed if their partners are no longer alive. These words come from a root that's shared by the Sanskrit vidhuh, which means "lonely or solitary," and the Latin viduus, "bereft or void."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

widowed

I am widowed and have no intention of remarrying.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

I’m 68, widowed and retired from a career in municipal government.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Like the Brontës, the Draydens are the eccentric daughters of a widowed curate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Mercury, a large Los Angeles-based insurer, charged the highest differential, though it offered lower rates to widowed motorists with 34 or more years of driving experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

With her two daughters and widowed mother in tow, she escaped to Waltha Castle.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

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Related Words

• only
• unattended

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