widower

American  

[wid-oh-er] / ˈwɪd oʊ ər /

noun

widowers plural

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

Derived Forms

• widowerhood
  noun
• widowered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• widowers
  plural

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

Widower Reg Harris, 85, said giving up driving would "absolutely crucify" his lifestyle.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025

Dear Amy: I'm adding to your advice to "Widower," whose family thinks he's moving too fast after his wife died.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2021

Widower Geoff brought in his broken jukebox, which had played the first dance at his wedding many years ago.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2020

Widower Cindy McCain also spoke out against the video today, saying it violated “every norm our society expects from its leaders”.

From The Guardian • Oct. 14, 2019

The Stormcrows were represented by two seasoned sellswords, an archer named Jokin and the scarred and sour axeman known simply as the Widower.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin