History Main / ConfirmedBachelor

* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTIme'': Very few Aes Sedai (female magic-users) marry, many being MarriedToTheJob and some of the rest [[LesYay informally pairing up with each other]] in [[SituationalSexuality the largely women-only]] [[MageTower White Tower]]. The fact that they're likely to [[MayflyDecemberRomance outlive their husbands]] doesn't help. The few exceptions are mostly of the Green (Battle) Ajah, who often marry their Warders in a LadyAndKnight BattleCouple arrangement. {{Averted}} by their male counterparts the Asha'man. Those who are already married when they're recruited are allowed to quarter with their families at the Black Tower and those who aren't married are encouraged to do so if they find a willing partner, on the theory that they'll fight harder if they have someone to fight for rather than locking themselves away in an [[VisualPun ivory tower]] as the Aes Sedai do.

* ''{{Series/AdamTwelve}}'' Pete Malloy for most of the series.

* Professor Henry Higgins from ''Theatre/MyFairLady'' is of the HeManWomanHater variety, believing that marriage would destroy his domestic bliss. The song "I'm an Ordinary Man" is all about the chaos he thinks a wife would bring to his life.
* Benedick in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' is explicitly called a confirmed bachelor. In regards to women, he calls himself a "professed tyrant of their sex."

* [[DisneyDucksComicUniverse Scrooge McDuck]] in all of his incarnations, due both to the [[ThriftyScot increased expenses marriage and children would incur]] and his personal need [[JerkassFacade to appear as strong, aloof and hardhearted as possible]]. He refers to his NewOldFlame Glittering Goldie O'Gilt (a woman he [[AMatchMadeInStockholm kidnapped and held hostage for a month as revenge for drugging and robbing him]] during the Yukon Gold Rush) as "the only live one I ever knew."

* Ser Brynden Tully from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', also known as The Blackfish, is famous for his refusal to marry, despite living in a world where {{Arranged Marriage}}s are the norm and the decision required him to cut ties with much of his family. {{Fanon}} has him of the ArmoredClosetGay variety (enforced by the setting, which is not gay-friendly), although he has no known lovers of either gender.

* Ser Brynden Tully from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', also known as The Blackfish, is famous for his refusal to marry, despite living in a world where {{Arranged Marriage}}s are the norm and the decision requiring him to cut ties with much of his family. {{Fanon}} has him of the ArmoredClosetGay variety (enforced by the setting, which is not gay-friendly), although he has no known lovers of either gender.

* In TheBible, Jesus is depicted as the MarriedToTheJob variety, too busy spreading His teachings and generally [[JesusWasWayCool being a really cool guy]] to worry about romance. [[DependingOnTheWriter Some believe]] that the historical Jesus [[WildMassGuessing may have]] {{averted}} this with Mary Magdalene.

* '''The {{Commitment|Issues}}phobic]] Bachelor:''' Somewhere in the middle, this character enjoys romance but has issues that keep them from getting all the way down the aisle. May overlap with SerialRomeo or InLoveWithLove, especially if they believe that marriage would somehow kill the spark between them and their amore.

* '''[[CommitmentIssues The Commitmentphobic]] Bachelor:''' Somewhere in the middle, this character enjoys romance but has issues that keep them from getting all the way down the aisle. May overlap with SerialRomeo or InLoveWithLove, especially if they believe that marriage would somehow kill the spark between them and their amore.

Whatever the reason, the end result is a character who would otherwise be considered marriageable -- is of the proper age, reasonably attractive, financially stable, confident around women, hasn't taken a vow of celibacy, etc. -- who nevertheless is unmarried, has never been married, and is not expected to become married.

Whatever the reason, the end result is a character who would otherwise be considered marriageable -- is of the proper age, reasonably attractive, financially stable, hasn't taken a vow of celibacy, etc. -- who nevertheless is unmarried, has never been married, and is not expected to become married.

* Comicbook/GreenArrow has been portrayed as commitmentphobic, for example, realising that a LotusEaterMachine where he was married to his son's mother wasn't ''his'' perfect world, but the perfect world other people wanted for him. He becomes a DeconfirmedBachelor in ''Green Arrow and Comicbook/BlackCanary'', but the marriage only lasts 32 issues. His former sidekick Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow is TheCasanova and spent his friend Aqualad/Tempest's wedding decrying marriage even as a concept.

* Comicbook/GreenArrow has been portrayed as commitmentphobic, for example, realising that a LotusEaterMachine where he was married to his son's mother wasn't ''his'' perfect world, but the perfect world other people wanted for him. He becomes a DeconfirmedBachelor in ''Green Arrow and Comicbook/BlackCanary'', but the marriage only lasted 32 issues. His former sidekick Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow is TheCasanova and spent his friend Aqualad/Tempest's wedding decrying marriage even as a concept.

* Comicbook/GreenArrow has been portrayed as commitmentphobic, for example, realising that a LotusEaterMachine where he was married to his son's mother wasn't ''his'' perfect world, but the perfect world other people wanted for him. He becomes a DeconfirmedBachelor in ''Green Arrow and Comicbook/BlackCanary'', but the marriage only lasted 32 issues. His former sidekick Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow is TheCassanova and spent his friend Aqualad/Tempest's wedding decrying marriage even as a concept.

* In TheBible, Jesus is depicted as the MarriedToTheJob variety, too busy spreading His teachings and generally [[JesusWasWayCool being a really cool guy]] to worry about romance. [[DependingOnTheWriter Some believe]] that the historical Jesus may have {{averted}} this with Mary Magdalene.

* Traditionally, Jesus is depicted as the MarriedToTheJob variety, too busy spreading His teachings and generally [[JesusWasWayCool being a really cool guy]] to worry about romance.

* Traditionally, Jesus is depicted as the MarriedToTheJob variety, too busy spreading His teachings and generally [[JesusWasWayCool being a really cool guy]] to worry about romance. [[DependingOnTheWriter Depending on]] [[{{Fanon}} who you listen to]] [[DanBrowned about his relationship]] [[Literature/TheDaVinciCode with Mary Magdalene]], [[WildMassGuessing that is]].

* Traditionally, Jesus is depicted as the MarriedToTheJob variety, too busy spreading His teachings and generally [[JesusWasWayCool being a really cool guy]] to worry about romance.

Specific SubTrope of CelibateHero. If one of these characters winds up getting "turned" and becomes HappilyMarried, they have become a DeconfirmedBachelor. Compare AwfulWeddedLife, which is what many Confirmed Bachelors consider marriage to be. Spouses trapped in an AwfulWeddedLife often express anti-marriage sentiments similar to those of certain types of Confirmed Bachelor.

Whatever the reason, the end result is a character who would otherwise be considered marriageable-- is of the proper age, reasonably attractive, financially stable, hasn't taken a vow of celibacy, etc.-- who nevertheless is unmarried, has never been married, and is not expected to become married.

If one of these characters winds up getting "turned" and becomes HappilyMarried, they have become a DeconfirmedBachelor. Compare AwfulWeddedLife, which is what many Confirmed Bachelors consider marriage to be. Spouses trapped in an AwfulWeddedLife often express anti-marriage sentiments similar to those of certain types of Confirmed Bachelor.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes is one of these in-canon because he finds romantic attachments to be a useless distraction. It doesn't keep fanfiction writers from shipping him with Irene Adler, their own original character, or Watson.

* Traditionally, Jesus is depicted as the MarriedToTheJob variety, too busy spreading his teachings and generally [[JesusWasWayCool being a really cool guy]] to worry about romance. [[DependingOnTheWriter Depending on who you listen to]] about his relationship with Mary Magdalene, that is.

* Benedick in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' is explicitly called a confirmed bachelor. In regards to women, he himself calls himself a "professed tyrant of their sex."

* '''The [[NoHuggingNoKissing Uninterested In Love]] Bachelor:''' This character simply has no interest in love or romance, let alone marriage, being too busy with [[BetterThanSex other pursuits]]. Often overlaps with MarriedToTheJob in cases where the character is too buried in their work to even ''try'' to find a suitable spouse, as opposed to cases where they try and fail or wish they had the time to try. If the entire cast is like this despite being of an appropriate age for romance, it's NoHuggingNoKissing. Often overlaps with {{Asexuality}} in fiction, although real life asexuals are often still interested in romance and companionship and some do marry.

* SherlockHolmes is one of these in-canon because he finds romantic attachments to be a useless distraction. It doesn't keep fanfiction writers from shipping him with Irene Adler, their own original character, or Watson.

* [[Manga/DeathNote L and Light Yagami]] fall into the MarriedToTheJob category. Light does become engaged to Misa, but never follows through and his reasons have little to do with romance in any case. Contrary to the wishes of {{shipper}}s and despite the [[FoeYay subtext]], they are not canonically of the ArmoredClosetGay variety.

* [[Creator/PGWodehouse P. G. Wodehouse's]] Bertie [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Wooster]] actively avoids marriage, often becoming accidentally engaged and relying on his valet [[HypercompetentSidekick Jeeves]] to get him out of it.

* ''{{Series/Dragnet}}'' had the same thing with Friday, with Bill always saying he should get married.

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[[folder: Real Life]]
* There is some dispute among historians whether Leonardo da Vinci was of the MarriedToTheJob type or the ArmoredClosetGay type; regardless, he never married.
* Sir Isaac Newton was likely a combination of MarriedToTheJob and HeManWomanHater; he proudly claimed to be a virgin on his deathbed and Voltaire wrote of him that he "had neither passion nor weakness; he never went near any woman."
* Nikola Tesla was a lifelong bachelor despite accounts of women vying for his affection, claiming that [[VirginPower chastity]] [[MarriedToTheJob was helpful in his scientific abilities]]. Toward the end of his life, however, he expressed some regret about this.
* Creator/CSLewis was of the "Lost Love" variety for much of his life: he was in love with a married woman, couldn't pursue her because of that, and wouldn't consider other women because that would be cheating on her. Only after her death did he move on, marrying late in life.
* Washington Irving, author of ''Literature/RipVanWinkle'' and ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow'', never married. Apparently he was socially more competent at friendship than love, and at least one biographer called him a better brother than a lover.
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* L and Light Yagami fall into the MarriedToTheJob category. Light does become engaged to Misa, but never follows through and his reasons have little to do with romance in any case. Contrary to the wishes of {{shipper}}s and despite the [[FoeYay subtext]], they are not canonically of the ArmoredClosetGay variety.