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

Etymology

Origin of widowed

widow ( def. ) + -ed ³ ( def. )

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

Ethel was widowed at the age of 23 when her husband was killed in combat during World War One.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Among Wonder Project’s recent shows is “It’s Not Like That,” a romance starring Scott Foley as a widowed pastor who falls for a divorced woman played by Erinn Hayes.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

I’m a 45-year-old woman and am staying with my widowed mother while I get work done on my home.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

The majority of those fathers were divorced, separated, or widowed.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Joyce had come to Stamps to live with a widowed aunt who was even poorer than the poorest person in town.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Related Words

• only
• unattended