widower

noun

wid·​ow·​er ˈwi-də-wər 

: a man who has lost his spouse or partner by death and usually has not remarried

Examples of widower in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Roth accounts aren't subject to RMDs so a surviving spouse wouldn't have to continue receiving RMD income that would immediately boost the widow or widower into a higher tax bracket when filing a single, rather than joint, tax return. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026

Kimberly Williams-Paisley stars in 9-1-1 Nashville as emergency dispatcher Cammie Raleigh, who is a widower. —Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026

That feeling was especially poignant for mission commander Reid Wiseman, a NASA astronaut and widower who, shortly before the NBC News interview, had spoken with his two teenage daughters—his first chance to speak with them since launch. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2026

Reid Wiseman Leading the nearly 10-day mission is a widower who considers solo parenting — not rocketing to the moon — his biggest and most rewarding challenge. —Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English widewer, alteration of wedow widow, widower, from Old English wuduwa widower; akin to Old English wuduwe widow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing widower

• grass widower

Kids Definition

widower

noun

wid·​ow·​er ˈwid-ə-wər 

: a man whose spouse has died