viuda

/vee-OO-dah/

widow

A solitary older woman dressed in a simple black dress and a small black veil, sitting alone on a wooden bench in a peaceful garden setting, symbolizing a widow.

A viuda (widow) is a woman whose spouse has died.

viuda(Noun)

fA1

widow

a woman whose spouse has died

📝 In Action

Mi abuela es viuda y vive sola en el campo.

My grandmother is a widow and lives alone in the countryside.

La viuda del famoso escritor donó todos sus libros a la biblioteca.

The famous writer's widow donated all his books to the library.

Word Connections

Synonyms

desposada (archaic) (unmarried woman)

Antonyms

viudo (widower)
casada (married woman)

Common Collocations

pensión de viudedad – widow's pension
quedar viuda – to become a widow

💡 Grammar Points

Gender Match

Since 'viuda' refers to a woman, it is a feminine noun and always uses feminine articles (la viuda, una viuda).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Gender

Mistake: "Using 'el viuda'."

Correction: Use 'la viuda' for a woman. If you mean a man whose wife died, the word is 'el viudo' (ending in -o).

⭐ Usage Tips

Viudedad

The related word 'viudedad' means 'widowhood' or, more commonly, refers to the government benefit a widow receives ('pensión de viudedad').

A drawing representing a page layout where a single short, thin purple stripe is isolated at the very top, clearly separated from a large, solid block of stacked purple stripes below it, illustrating the concept of a widow line in typography.

In typography, a viuda (widow line) refers to the last line of a paragraph that appears alone at the top of the next column or page.

viuda(Adjective)

fC1

widow line

typography term

📝 In Action

Debemos evitar las líneas viudas para mejorar la calidad de impresión.

We must avoid widow lines to improve the print quality.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

línea viuda – widow line (typography)

💡 Grammar Points

Technical Usage

In publishing, a 'widow' (viuda) is the last line of a paragraph that appears alone at the top of a new page or column, separated from the rest of the text.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: viuda

Question 1 of 1

If Juan's wife died, what would Juan be called?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

viudo(widower) - noun

viudedad(widowhood / widow's pension) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'viuda' ever refer to a man?

No. 'Viuda' is strictly the feminine form (widow). The masculine form for a man whose wife has died is 'viudo' (widower).

Is 'viuda' only used for people?

Usually, yes. However, in technical fields like publishing, 'viuda' is used as a technical adjective to describe a single line of text left alone at the top of a page.