happily ever after

English

WOTD – 8 February 2025

Etymology

PIE word *h₂óyu

PIE word *h₂epó

The adverb is derived from happily (adverb) + ever after (adverb), used as a formulaic ending in works for children especially since the 19th century. The noun is derived from the adverb.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhæpɪli ˌɛvəɹ‿ˈɑːftə/, /-ˈæf-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhæpəli ˌɛvəɹ‿ˈæftəɹ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːftə(ɹ), -æftə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: hap‧pi‧ly ever af‧ter

Adverb

happily ever after (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Chiefly preceded by he, she, they, etc., lived: often used as a formulaic ending in fairy tales, stories for children, and similar works: in a state of happiness for the rest of his, her, their, etc., lives.

   And they lived happily ever after.

   • 1881 April, Charles Grant, “The Fairyland of [William] Shakespeare”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine, volume CCL, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 427:

     [E]xcept in our dreamiest moods, we scornfully reject the slightest hint of witchery, and yet find no difficulty in believing that the hero and heroine of the last new novel "married and lived happily ever after" the conclusion of the third volume, without the help of any fairy godmother.

   • 1954 July 29, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “A Long-expected party”, in The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published September 1973, →ISBN, page 58:

     I might find somewhere where I can finish my book. I have thought of a nice ending for it: and he lived happily ever after to the end of his days.

   • 2014 August 19, Rick Riordan, “You Gotta Love Aphrodite”, in Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, New York, N.Y.: Disney Hyperion Books, →ISBN, page 206:

     After Pygmalion came back to consciousness, he proposed to his perfect woman. They got married, had a few kids, and lived happily ever after. The weird thing, though? The stories don't even tell us what the ivory girl's name was.

Derived terms

• happy ever after (noun)

Translations

in a state of happiness for the rest of his, her, their, etc., lives

• Arabic: وَعَاشُوا عِيشَة سَعِيدَة (waʕāšū ʕīša(t) saʕīda)
• Bengali: এবং তারা পরে সুখে বসবাস করে (eboṅ tara pore śukhe bosbaś kore)
• Catalan: i van viure feliços i van menjar anissos
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 从此，他们过着幸福快乐的日子, ^{(please verify)} 從此，他們過著幸福快樂的日子 / 从此，他们过著幸福快乐的日子

• Czech: a žili šťastně až do smrti
• Danish: og de levede lykkeligt til deres dages ende
• Dutch: en ze leefden nog lang en gelukkig
• Estonian: ja kui nad surnud pole, siis elavad nad õnnelikult tänase päevani
• Finnish: onnellisena elämänsä loppuun asti sg, onnellisina elämänsä loppuun asti pl
• French: ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d’enfants (fr)
• German: (semantically equivalent) und sie lebten glücklich bis ans Ende ihrer Tage, (commoner in practice) und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann leben sie noch heute
• Goemai: ^{(please verify)} tamtis noe lat/ dok ba muaan yi wa
• Greek: κι έζησαν αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα (el) (ki ézisan aftoí kalá ki emeís kalýtera)
• Gujarati: અને તેઓ બધા પછી સુખી રહેતા હતા (ane teo badhā pachī sukhī rahetā hatā)
• Hebrew: בְּאוֹשֶׁר וָעוֹשֶׁר עַד עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה (beósher va'ósher 'ad 'étzem hayóm hazé)
• Hindi: उसके बाद वे ख़ुशी ख़ुशी रहने लगे (uske bād ve xuśī xuśī rahne lage)
• Hungarian: és boldogan éltek, míg meg nem haltak (hu)
• Icelandic: og þau lifðu vel og lengi, Og þau lifðu hamingjusöm til æviloka
• Iraqw: ^{(please verify)} aa fák; ^{(please verify)} a-n ti'itá-r akóo doo-rén na alki'íit
• Irish: agus bhí siad go léir ina gcónaí go sona sásta riamh
• Italian: e vissero per sempre felici e contenti
• Japanese: めでたしめでたし (ja) (medetashi medetashi)
• Korean: 그들은 행복하게 오래 오래 살았답니다 (geudeureun haengbokhage orae orae saratdamnida)
• Latvian: un viņi dzīvoja ilgi un laimīgi
• Lithuanian: ir jie gyveno ilgai ir laimingai
• Norwegian: og så levde de lykkelig alle sine dager, og er de ikke døde, så lever de ennå
• Polish: i żyli długo i szczęśliwie
• Portuguese: felizes para sempre
• Russian: и жили они́ до́лго и счастливо (i žili oní dólgo i sčastlivo)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: и живјели су дуго и сретно, и живели су срећно до краја живота

  Roman: i živjeli su dugo i sretno, i živeli su srećno do kraja života

• Slovene: in živeli so srečno do konca svojih dni
• Spanish: Y vivieron felices y comieron perdices, Y colorín colorado, este cuento se ha acabado, Y vivieron felices por siempre jamás, Y vivieron felices el resto de sus días
• Swedish: och så levde de lyckliga i alla sina dagar
• Tamil: அவர்கள் மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் வாழ்ந்தார்கள் (avarkaḷ makiḻcciyuṭaṉ vāḻntārkaḷ)
• Turkish: ve hayatlarının sonuna kadar mutlu yaşadılar, ve sonsuza kadar mutlu yaşadılar
• Urdu: اس کے بعد وہ خوشی خوشی رہنے لگے (us ke bād ve xuśī xuśī rahne lage)
• Welsh: ac roeddent i gyd yn byw'n hapus byth wedyn

Noun

happily ever after (plural happily ever afters) (idiomatic)

1. (narratology) A story, or a conclusion to a story, in which all the loose ends of the plot are tied up, and all the main characters are left in a state of contentment or happiness.

   Synonyms: eucatastrophe, fairy-tale ending, happy ending, happy ever after

   • 1979 January, “Marriage ’79: Sara & Ted”, in Edith Raymond Locke, editor, Mademoiselle, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 136, column 1:

     But this is 1979: marriage once again is on a lot of minds and romantic comedies, complete with tradition and happily-ever-afters, are back in style.

2. (by extension) A happy period of time which is imagined never to end; specifically, the state of happiness in which one or more people (typically a loving couple) dwell for the rest of his, her, their, etc., lives.

   Synonyms: fairy-tale ending, happy ever after

   • 1994 May 25, [Karen] Shepherd, “Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1995”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 103d Congress, Second Session (United States House of Representatives), volume 140, part 7, Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11905, column 1:

     In the real world, there are no happily ever afters, no storybook endings. We must always fight intolerance and fanaticism.

   • 2006 January 9, David J. Jefferson, “An Incredible Marriage? Disney and Pixar’s CEO Steve Jobs Talk of Joining Forces”, in Newsweek, volume CXVII, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Newsweek, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 42:

     Disney CEO Robert Iger believes in happily-ever-afters. For two years, Disney's relationship with Pixar Animation Studios—creator of such blockbusters as "Finding Nemo" and "Toy Story"—was on the rocks, soured by an epic battle of wills between former Disney chief Michael Eisner and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. But when Iger took over last year, he was determined to kiss and make up.

   • 2020 October 13, Beatrice Loayza, “Jack London gets an Italian makeover in the tragic and romantic Martin Eden”, in The A.V. Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 2022-07-05:

     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^[2], New York, N.Y.: Hearst Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-07-15:

     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."

Alternative forms

• happily-ever-after

Translations

story, or a conclusion to a story, in which all the loose ends of the plot are tied up, and all the main characters are left in a state of contentment or happiness

• Finnish: onnellinen loppu
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: felizes para sempre m

happy period of time which is imagined never to end; state of happiness in which one or more people dwell for the rest of their lives

• Finnish: onnellinen loppu
• Macedonian: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: felizes para sempre m

See also

• fairytalelike
• good ending
• honeymoon period

Further reading

• happy ending on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Happy Ever After (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia