From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwidowhoodwid‧ow‧hood /ˈwɪdəʊhʊd $ -doʊ-/ noun [uncountable] SSFMARRYthe state of being a widow or widower
Examples from the Corpus
widowhood• Often the horror and humility of her widowhood would drive a young widow to follow her husband on his burning pyre.• The young man accepts each rationalization given by Lady Susan for her apparently scandalous behavior in the short months of her widowhood.• Her widowhood sat lightly on her shoulders, and from what Peggy gathered from her she had a favourite pub.• Monied widowhood is their only nirvana.• The unthinking equation of widowhood for women with retirement for men has been challenged.• A confidant and social support buffers a woman against the losses of retirement, widowhood, moves, and deaths.• The reason: older persons tend to form one-person households both by preference and owing to widowhood. 