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wooer

wooer

1 8.6
A man who tries to win a woman's love, often to marry her
  • noun
  • /ˈwuːər/
translation icon : pretendiente
  • In the park, she was approached by her persistent wooer who brought her flowers every week.

Examples

  • In the big city, the twin spirits Romance and Adventure are always abroad seeking worthy wooers.

    Blog text (14)
  • A twelvemonth and a day, I'll Mark no words that smooth-faced wooers say.

  • But he is her wooer

  • And do not rely on support coined the wooer.

  • When asked by her father, "If she confessed that she was half the wooer," Desdemona does not in fact answer this question.

    Academic text (2005)
  • "When a wooer goes a-wooing, oh, the sweets that never cloy!"

    Fiction book (1990)
  • In this context, one recalls that Narcissus's response to his many wooers in the time before he fell in love with his image in the pool was simple.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Brabantio therefore asks Desdemona to deny that "she was half the wooer" (1.3.174).

    Academic text (2005)
  • I'd often overheard Charmian on the phone whispering sugary sentences to would-be wooers.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "Nonie is infatuated and tough about having attention paid to her as someone afflicted with intense (and okay) feelings, as the wooer of the other girl; then, too, she makes a point of demeaning whomever she woos.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

suitor
vswooer
48 4.4

A man who wants to marry a woman

focuses more on seeking a woman's affection rather than only marriage
swain
vswooer
  • Archaic
4 9.9

A man who loves a woman and tries to win her, often in old poems

is the neutral modern term for male courtship with marriage intent
suer
vswooer
  • Archaic
9.9

A man who tries to win a woman's love to marry her

is the main entry term for that same male courtship meaning
suiter
vswooer
  • UK
5.0

A person who tries to win someone's love, often to marry

specifies male courtship rather than a gender-neutral courting person
courter
vswooer
8.1

A person who tries to win someone's love often to marry

limits this idea to a man seeking affection with marriage in mind
swarmer
vswooer
  • Archaic
9.5

A person who gives too much praise and attention to someone

denotes male courtship aimed at marriage rather than mere excitement

How Active

suitor
48 4.4
wooer
1 8.6
admirer
113 2.3

Surface Forms

wooer singular
wooers plural

Morphology

wooer = woo (transparent) = woo + er

Agentive suffix '-er' added to the verb 'woo' yields 'one who woos'; the meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Wooer comes from the simple verb woo, which means 'to seek someone's love' or 'court', and the ending -er meaning 'one who does'. So a wooer is literally 'one who woos' or 'one who courts' someone, often hoping for marriage.