What does widower mean?
A widower is a man whose wife has died, particularly a man who has not remarried. The word is the masculine counterpart of widow and is used in British and American English. It appears in legal, historical, biographical, and traditional writing, while in ordinary conversation speakers may instead say that a man has been widowed or that his wife has died. The term carries a serious and often solemn connotation because it identifies a man through the loss of his wife, although it does not necessarily imply that he is grieving in a particular way. Widowers are also represented in literature and family history, where the designation can convey bereavement, continuity after loss, and the practical responsibilities left to a surviving husband. Although the word is less frequent than widow, it remains a standard and precise part of English vocabulary.
nounA man whose wife has died, especially one who has not remarried. The term is the masculine counterpart of widow.
- A man whose wife has died, especially one who has not remarried.
"The widower spent many years quietly maintaining the family home he had shared with his wife."
"As a widower, he found comfort in the daily routine of raising their children."
"The biography describes the young widower as a man who rebuilt his life after his wife's sudden death."
The regular plural adds -s; the form widowerers is not standard.
"Community members helped the widowers repair their homes after the storm."
The word widow has a built-in male counterpart: add -er and the language supplies a husband who has lost his wife.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does widower come from?
Widower is a Middle English formation made by adding the suffix -er to widow, with the suffix marking a male person. The English word widow belongs to an older Germanic vocabulary for a woman whose husband has died. Latin vidua, meaning “widow,” is a related cognate in the same wider word family, though widower itself is an English formation rather than a direct Latin borrowing.
Related word forms
How widower is actually used
Widower is used in both British and American English and is especially common in biographical, legal, historical, and traditional contexts. It can sound somewhat formal or dated in everyday conversation, where a fuller description may be preferred. It normally refers specifically to a man whose wife has died, not to a man who has divorced or separated.
Easily confused with widower
A widow is a woman whose husband has died, whereas a widower is a man whose wife has died.
Widowed is usually an adjective or participle describing someone whose spouse has died; widower is a noun naming such a man.