widower

American  

[wid-oh-er] / ˈwɪd oʊ ər /

noun

1. a man who has lost his spouse by death and has not remarried.

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widower British  

/ ˈwɪdəʊə /

noun

1. a man whose wife has died and who has not remarried

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Other Word Forms

• widowered
  adjective
• widowerhood
  noun

Etymology

Origin of widower

1325–75; late Middle English ( see widow, -er ¹); replacing widow (now dial.), Old English wydewa

Explanation

If your grandmother has died, you can call your grandfather a widower, or a man whose wife is no longer living. When a man loses his wife, he becomes a widower. The equivalent name for a woman whose husband dies is a widow. In many cases, a man is only referred to as a widower if he has not remarried. Both a widow and a widower are described as being widowed. The feminine form of this word came first, from the Old English widewe. The Indo-European root means "be empty," which perfectly describes the grief that many recent widowers feel.

Example Sentences

The glow has even faded from “The Golden Bachelor,” an offshoot which got off to a buzzy start in 2023 with then-72-year-old widower Gerry Turner.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

He’s also a widower who lost his wife not to some boring disease but in a way that only a real spitfire would go, by flipping her ATV.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood's widower and long-term design partner, has been the legendary British label's creative director since 2016.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Having part of the couple’s money tied up in an irrevocable trust means it is difficult for the widow or widower to make future changes, such as removing a child as a beneficiary.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

I couldn’t help noticing how in only three weeks as a widower he already looked like one.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns