Definition

1. Adjective:
   • No longer married because one's spouse has died: Describes a person whose husband or wife has died and who has not remarried.

Usage

• The adjective "widowed" is used to describe a person's marital status resulting from the death of their spouse. It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "be").
• It is a formal and neutral term. The related nouns are "widow" (for a woman) and "widower" (for a man).

Examples

• Attributive use (before a noun):
  • She is a widowed mother of three.
  • The program offers support for widowed individuals.
• Predicative use (after a linking verb):
  • He has been widowed for five years.
  • After her husband's passing, she was left widowed.

Advanced Usage

• "Newly widowed": Recently having become a widow or widower.
  • The support group is for the newly widowed.
• Used in formal or statistical contexts to describe a group.
  • The survey categorized respondents as single, married, divorced, or widowed.

Variants and Related Words

• Widow (noun): A woman whose spouse has died.
• Widower (noun): A man whose spouse has died.
• Widowhood (noun): The state or period of being a widow or widower.

Synonyms

• Bereaved: Suffering the loss of a loved one by death (a broader term that can include the loss of a spouse).
• Surviving spouse: A more legal or formal term for a person whose husband or wife has died.

Antonyms

• Married: Having a living spouse.
• Single: Not married (but not specifically due to death of a spouse).

Related Phrases

• To be widowed: The process of becoming a widow or widower.
  • She was widowed at a young age.
• Widowed parent: A parent who is raising children after the death of their spouse.
  • He struggled as a widowed parent.

Adjective

1. single because of death of the spouse