Definition

Adjective: "Wifeless" describes a state of being without a wife, typically referring to a man who is unmarried or not currently married.

Usage Examples

• (He did not remarry and lived without a spouse.)
• (The monarch had no wife and no child to inherit the throne.)

Advanced Usage

• "to go wifeless": to choose or be forced to live without a wife.
  • He decided to go wifeless, preferring solitude to companionship. (He deliberately remained unmarried.)

Variants and Related Words

• Wife (n): a married woman in relation to her spouse.

  • She is a devoted wife and mother.

• Wifely (adj): relating to or characteristic of a wife.

  • She performed her wifely duties with grace. (She fulfilled the traditional roles of a wife.)

Synonyms

• Unmarried: not married.
• Spouseless: without a spouse.
• Bachelor: an unmarried man (implies choice or state, but not necessarily current).

Antonyms

• Married: having a spouse.
• Wived: having a wife (rare, often used in historical or literary contexts).

Related Idioms

• "to live wifeless": to exist without a wife.
  • He had lived wifeless for so long that he forgot what it was like to share a home. (He had been unmarried for an extended period.)

Usage Note

"Wifeless" is a formal or literary term, not commonly used in everyday conversation. It often appears in historical, legal, or descriptive contexts. Modern alternatives like "unmarried" or "single" are more frequent.