happily ever after

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English

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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happily ever after (plural happily ever afters)

  1. (idiomatic) A period of time, imagined never to end, in which (typically) a loving couple live untroubled, happy lives together.
    Synonym: fairy-tale ending
    • 2020 October 13, Beatrice Loayza, “Jack London gets an Italian makeover in the tragic and romantic Martin Eden”, in AV Club:
      The couple’s romance, captured with intimate closeups and accompanied by a jaunty Europop soundtrack, is rapturous. But Martin’s increasingly provocative ideas throw a wrench in Elena’s dreams of a happily-ever-after.
    • 2020 November 6, Kyle Thomas, “Your Cosmic Love Triangle, by Zodiac Sign”, in Cosmopolitan[1]:
      As a water sign, Cancers are deeply sensitive. They long to give and receive love, and they frequently find themselves always fantasizing about their “happily-ever-after.”
  2. A story with such a happy ending, such as a romance novel or fairy tale.

See also

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Adverb

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happily ever after

  1. (idiomatic, often preceded by "they lived") Happily until death; used in a formulaic ending for fairy tales.
    And they lived happily ever after.

Translations

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