Meaning & use
late wife
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
the wife of someone who has died recently
Grammar: Countable; usually used with a possessive or 'the', e.g. 'his late wife', 'the late wife of the mayor'.
Patterns
- someone's late wife
- the late wife of someone
He often talks about his late wife, who passed away two years ago.
The charity was founded in memory of his late wife.
She is the late wife of the former president.
Word forms
| plural | late wives |
|---|
Common combinations
- his late wife
- He dedicated the book to his late wife.
- her late wife
- She wears her late wife's ring every day.
- the late wife of
- The late wife of the actor was also a famous singer.
- someone's late wife
- John's late wife was a teacher.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deceased wife
- More formal and legal; 'late wife' is gentler and more common in everyday speech.
- former wife
- Means a wife from whom someone is divorced, not one who has died. Do not confuse the two.
Commonly confused: late wife or ex-wife? late wife or late?
late wife vs ex-wife
'Ex-wife' means a woman someone was married to but is now divorced from. 'Late wife' means she has died.
late wife vs late
As a time word, 'late' means after the expected time, but in 'late wife' it means dead. The context makes the meaning clear.
Practice
After his ___ wife died, he moved to a smaller house.
Choose one answer.
'Late' before a person means 'dead'. 'Later' means 'at a later time', 'lately' means 'recently', and 'latest' means 'newest', none of which fit the meaning of a wife who has died.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “late wife”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.