Not married; in the condition of being single.
Simple compound of 'un-' (not) + 'wed' (married), from Old English 'weddian' meaning to pledge or marry. The prefix 'un-' has been used for negation since Old English.
Calling someone 'unwed' sounds formal and old-fashioned today, but historically this term was super important because society made major distinctions about who was married and who wasn't—now we use 'single' more casually.
Unwed functions as moral judgment primarily targeting women (unwed mothers), with vastly harsher historical penalties, shame, and legal consequences for women than men.
Use 'unmarried' as neutral descriptor. Reserve 'unwed' for historical contexts where the gendered shame was the actual subject.
["unmarried","single"]
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