Widower Meaning
/ˈwɪdoʊɚ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA man whose spouse has died (and who has not remarried); a man in relation to his late spouse; masculine of widow.
Sentence Examples
A man whose wife is dead is called a widower.
He's a widower with three small children to take care of.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old man, whose wife had died last year, lived alone as a ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He has been a ____ for many years, but he recently decided to start volunteering locally.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English widwer, equivalent to widow + -er.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Tears of the widower, when he sees
A late-lost form that sleep reveals,
And moves his doubtful arms, and feels
Her place is empty, fall like these; […]"
— 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 20:
"What happens to the lovers of people with AIDS? How do they experience the passage from lover to caregiver to "widower"?"
— 1988 April 2, Lori Kenschaft, “Film on lovers of PWAs in works”, in Gay Community News, page 6:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The old man, whose wife had died last year, lived alone as a ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He has been a ____ for many years, but he recently decided to start volunteering locally.