mateless

1 7.8

Not having a partner for love or marriage

adjective
/ˈmeɪtləs/

: sin pareja

People with a wire down somewhere in their lives, a lack of capacity to work for themselves, an emigration into an America they never managed to savvy nor to let go of, many with a puppy-helplessness when it came to alcohol, some with sour tempers and bent minds; mateless.

Examples

After her partner moved away, she felt mateless and longed for companionship.
As he watched couples dancing together, he couldn't help but feel mateless and alone at the party.
The old man spent his days in solitude, mateless after the loss of his beloved wife.

Synonyms

unmarried

vsmateless

68 1.0

Not having a husband or wife

is about lacking any mate or partner rather than only legal status

partnerless

vsmateless

1 4.2

Alone because there is no one to be with

is the same idea expressed with a different form

unpartnered

vsmateless

4.1

Not in a romantic relationship or living with someone

is used more broadly for lacking any mate or romantic companion

unmated

vsmateless

7.0

Not matched with another item

is focused on people lacking a romantic or spousal companion

Antonyms

paired

2.5

Two things that match and go together

coupled

3.5

Two items joined together physically, like vehicles or parts used as a pair

How Partnered

married

∞ 1.0

partner

878 1.1

mateless

1 7.8

Surface Forms

mateless positive

Morphology

mateless = mate (transparent) = mate + less

Formed from the common noun 'mate' plus the productive suffix '-less' meaning 'without', so the meaning is directly inferable.

Etymology

Mateless comes from mate meaning 'partner' and the ending -less meaning 'without', like in hopeless or careless. So, mateless means 'without a partner', whether a spouse, romantic companion, or a mating bird.