%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=fackmrde
%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800

->''"Mr Wooster is an agreeable young gentleman, but I would describe him as essentially one of Nature's bachelors."''
-->-- '''[[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Jeeves]]''', ''Literature/ThankYouJeeves''

[[MarriageTropes Marriage]].[[note]]Or, to some, [[Film/ThePrincessBride mawwiage]].[[/note]]

[[SubvertedTrope It's not for everyone]].

This character is one who is not just unmarried, not just uninterested in marriage, but for one reason or another is staunchly against marriage. They may be against the institution of marriage itself and believe that no one should get married, or simply be opposed to the idea of getting married themselves. Most examples are male, but [[RareFemaleExample females can count as well]]. With the increasing legality of gay marriage, gay characters can fall into this as well if marriage is available to them but they make a point of eschewing it.

There can be a few reasons for this:

* '''The HeManWomanHater Bachelor:''' This character is a StrawMisogynist (or DoesNotLikeMen if female), in which case expect to see them MistakenForGay, assuming they're not...
* '''The ClosetGay Bachelor:''' ''Pretends'' to be one of the other types to explain why they're single, but it's really just a cover. The term "confirmed bachelor" is often used winkingly as a [[GayEuphemism euphemism]] for this, although its broader definition is the original one and still widely used.
* '''The [[TheMourningAfter Lost Love]] Bachelor:''' This character might have considered marriage, but their preferred partner is unavailable (either deceased, married to another, of the [[IncompatibleOrientation wrong orientation]], or just [[UnrequitedLove uninterested]]) and they are unwilling to settle for someone else. May seize on a HeManWomanHater attitude as an excuse, similar in some ways to the above.
* '''TheCasanova Bachelor:''' On the flip side, they may like the opposite sex just fine and either prefer the single lifestyle or [[ReallyGetsAround Really Get Around]] and enjoy variety a little too much to settle down with just one person. Or in the case of the CasanovaWannabe, they may just aspire to this.
* '''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.
* '''The 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. For much the same reason, can overlap with CelibateEccentricGenius. If the entire cast is like this despite being of an appropriate age for romance, it's NoHuggingNoKissing. Often overlaps with UsefulNotes/{{Asexuality}} in fiction, although real-life asexuals are often still interested in romance and companionship and some do marry[[note]]The more accurate term for these kinds of people is UsefulNotes/{{Aromantic}}, the complete lack of romantic attraction but not sexual attraction (though some aromantic people are also asexual)[[/note]].

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, hasn't taken a VowOfCelibacy, etc. -- who nevertheless is unmarried, has never been married, and is not expected to become married.

Often overlaps with 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. See also SuperheroesStaySingle, when celibacy is [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] by the authors rather than self-willingness.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with getting a four-year college degree]].

Due to the way this trope involves characterization and gossip, '''Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease'''
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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Literature/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'', Tanimoto is aromantic and asexual, and has stated on multiple occasions she has no interest in dating or marriage. She is quite happy sticking to that!
* In ''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. Despite the FoeRomanceSubtext, they are not canonically of the closet gay variety.
* Robert E.O. Speedwagon from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' is stated to have been a "lifelong bachelor," although since none of his character development involved romance, which specific category he falls into is a matter of debate.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': Most versions of Bruce Wayne are TheCasanova type in his public persona. His private reasons are closer to a combination of MarriedToTheJob and ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies.
* Creator/ECComics story "Operation Friendship" has one of these who's more the HeManWomanHater type (thinks they're not intellectual enough for him). He does not take his HeterosexualLifePartner finally finding a wife well. [[BrainInAJar Not at all well]].
* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'': Oliver Queen has been portrayed as commitment-phobic -- for example, realizing 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 spends his friend Aqualad/Tempest's wedding decrying marriage even as a concept.
* ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'': Scrooge [=McDuck=] in all of his incarnations, due both to the [[ThriftyScot increased expenses marriage and children would incur]] and his personal need 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."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* The Good Hunter from ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' eschews marriage. He is not interested in courtship, outright tells Grace he will never marry, and turns down multiple potential marriage candidates. It doesn't stop Grace and Celestine from having {{Imagine Spot}}s about a betrothed Kyril, though.
* [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition Solas]] is this, of the Uninterested in Love variety, in ''Fanfic/SkyholdAcademyYearbook''. He has no issue with anyone else getting married, and quite cheerfully participates in his friends' bachelor parties and supports their life choices. He just finds science (and [[SweetTooth cake]]) to be more interesting than anything romantic ever could be.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheBarefootedKid'': Madam Pak, the owner of the "Four Seasons Weaver" mill, is still single in her late forties, due to an ArrangedMarriage from her childhood days that goes wrong. She was supposed to be married to a boy from a neighboring, wealthy family as part of a pact with her own parents, but the boy she's engaged to dies before reaching adulthood. Due to her family's rule of honor, she's forced to remain single for the rest of her life.
* ''Film/EarlySummer'': A rare female example is Noriko's friend Aya, who doesn't want to be married and mocks her married friends for the hassles and concerns they have to deal with in married life. She isn't that sincere about it, however. Late in the film when Mr. Manabe drops by and Noriko expresses reluctance to take a look at him after she's decided to marry Kenkichi, Aya says "I may marry who's left."
* ''Film/MarriageItalianStyle'' has Domenico, a wealthy bachelor who enjoys a comfortable life with lots of girlfriends and hookers. He's marriage-phobic enough that his most faithful hooker girlfriend Filomena can't get him to commit, despite the fact that she's Creator/SophiaLoren. When Domenico finally does decide at age 50 to get married to a much younger girl, after 20 years of a FriendsWithBenefits relationship with Filomena, she's outraged.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* The plot of ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'' centers around attempts to prove that [[spoiler: Jesus, contrary to his depiction in Literature/TheBible (see under Religion), {{averted}} this trope with Mary Magdalene]].
* In Creator/LouisaMayAlcott's ''Literature/EightCousins'' and its sequel, Uncle Alec is this, of the Lost Love variety. Several hints are dropped in the narrative that he had been in love with Rose, who had married his brother George and [[DeathByChildbirth died giving birth]] to their daughter of the same name. Alec and George had a falling out some years earlier, quite possibly over Rose Senior, but made it up the last time they saw each other before George died; as part of the reconciliation, George left guardianship of Rose Junior to Alec. Alec becomes as completely devoted to his niece as if she were his daughter, and never gets involved with anyone else.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Both Snape and Dumbledore are bachelors for pretty similar reasons.
*** Snape is of the "love lost" variety. He’d been in love with [[spoiler: Harry’s mom, Lily]] since they were kids. She didn’t reciprocate and he pushed her friendship away when he called her a FantasticSlur and became a Death Eater. He fairly directly caused her death and he just wasn’t ever [[SingleTargetSexuality able to move on from her specifically]] or forgive himself for it. Although [[spoiler: Voldemort]] says he tried to convince him he’d moved on, implying he may have fake-dated someone.
*** Dumbledore is of the "gay before it was socially acceptable" type and of the one attempt at love ended in catastrophe type like Snape. Right after he graduated from Hogwarts, his mother died and he got a PromotionToParent over his two younger siblings. A fresh out of [[spoiler:getting kicked out of Durmstrang Grindelwald]] came knocking to his village and manipulated him into running off with him [[spoiler: with his mentally ill sister in tow]] for a whole year. His brother tried to stop them and [[spoiler:she got killed in the crossfire]]. He was also never able to forgive himself for it and decided from there on out, he was going to be a teacher and not ever get involved with anyone else. For many years, it was debatable whether or not this relationship was reciprocal or manipulation but the [[Film/FantasticBeasts prequel]] film series later confirmed that it was the former.
** WordOfGod also mentions Ron's older brother Charlie never married or had children, being [[MarriedToTheJob more interested in studying dragons than romance]].
* ''Literature/TheHouseWithAClockInItsWalls'': Jonathan Barnavelt. In ''The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder'' (book five of the series), he explains this, self-identifying as "an old bachelor" who never married after a girl he was in love with jilted him and broke his heart thirty years before.
* ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'':
** Anne shows little to no interest in getting married because it would mean she couldn't serve Catarina anymore, even turning down Duke Claes' offer to find her a good husband after the awful ArrangedMarriage her father tries to force her into falls through.
** While as the daughter of the sitting prime minister, there is no lack of nobles marrying her into power, Sophia's romantic plans of "[[ShipperWithAnAgenda hooking up her brother Nicol with Catarina so that she can have them both]]" implies she does not expect herself to be married. In this case, it's because [[AlbinosAreFreaks she knows first-hand that most of the nobility considers her "cursed" for her albinism]].
* Martin the Warrior from the ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'' series is an example of the Lost Love type. It's not known if he and Rose ever considered marriage, but he never gets over her death in the Battle of Marshank and never becomes romantically involved with another character.
* Literature/SherlockHolmes is one of these because, he asserts, strong emotions such as love would interfere with his ability to be a perfect reasoning machine.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''
** Ser Brynden Tully 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 closet gay variety (enforced by the setting, which is not gay-friendly), although he has no known lovers of either gender.
** Lord Galbert Glover, despite being head of an old Northern house, has never married and is said to have no love but his horse and his sword.
* ''Literature/ThisSideOfParadise'': After the death of her husband, Clara Page decides not to marry again and has sworn off men for the rest of her life so she could be with her children at all times. Thus, she turns down Amory despite liking him.
* Creator/PGWodehouse's Bertie [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Wooster]] gets deliberately engaged a time or two early in the series, but the attempts inevitably fall through and as the stories progress, he begins actively avoiding marriage. Unfortunately, he still often becomes ''accidentally'' engaged and must rely on his [[HypercompetentSidekick valet]] [[HeterosexualLifePartners Jeeves]] to get him out of it.
* ''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'd be very likely to [[MayflyDecemberRomance outlive any prospective husband]] doesn't help. The few exceptions are mostly of the Green (Battle) Ajah, who often marry their Warders in a LadyAndKnight BattleCouple arrangement. {{Defied}} 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/Adam12'' Pete Malloy for most of the series. He outright tells Reed that he doesn’t think marriage is for him and likes meeting different girls and keeping his solitude at home. He may have evolved after dating Judy near the end though.
* ''Series/CobraKai'' has returning characters Kumiko and Chozen Toguchi from ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII''. Kumiko has been unmarried throughout her whole life despite her aunt's wishes, and there is no indication that Chozen ever married or had any children when Daniel questions him about it.
-->'''Kumiko:''' I stayed, uh... What was your word for it? A "free agent".\\
'''Daniel:''' Come on, I'm supposed to believe that a guy never got a ring on that finger?\\
'''Kumiko:''' Many tried. But... none of them fought to the death for me.
* ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' had the same thing with Friday, with Bill always saying he should get married.
* Rounding out the trio, Chet on ''{{Series/Emergency}}'' (Johnny seemed receptive to it down the road)
-->'''Chet''': I'm all for weddings... as long as it's not my own.
* In the ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'' episode "The Body Electric", Grace is the only person not bothered by rumors of Walt Whitman's sexuality--"Where I come from (New Orleans), we had all kinds of folks. Plenty of families had their bachelor uncles and maiden aunts."
* In the ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' episode "Murdoch Escape Room", Detective Watts calls himself a "confirmed bachelor" to Miss Cherry. He's a closeted gay man claiming to be the lost love version, although everything he says about his lost love apart from claiming Jack was "Jacqueline" is true.
* Dean Winchester of ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' ends the series never having married or been in a relationship with a woman lasting longer than a year, in contrast to his brother Sam, who's had several long-term love interests by the series' conclusion and ends up with a wife and son.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion]]
* In Literature/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. While the Bible itself doesn't call much attention to His bachelor status, it's either taken for granted or considered core dogma in most Christian denominations that Jesus was celibate His entire life. The fact that the Bible has this bachelor status simply ''there'' without being commented on actually rather unusual; it would've been quite rare for any 1st-century Jewish man, let alone a religious leader, to be unmarried.
* St. Augustine embraced TheCasanova variant of this lifestyle in his youth, famously praying, "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet." His prayers were apparently answered when he converted to Christianity and entered the priesthood some years later.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* Benedick in ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' is explicitly called a confirmed bachelor. In regards to women, he calls himself a "professed tyrant of their sex." [[DeconfirmedBachelor That doesn't actually last long]].
* 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, Miles Edgeworth shows no interest in women, and states in the ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' DLC episode "Turnabout Time Traveler" that he wishes to remain unmarried.
* Agent Brown of the VideoGame/DetectivesUnited seems to be this. Both of his partners get married during the course of their respective origin series (DU being a CrisisCrossover of disparate series produced by Creator/ElephantGames), but there's no indication that Brown has or has ever had any romantic relationships. Somewhat justified, as he's been an agent with the Mystery Trackers since he was a teenager and they don't seem to encourage romances for their employees; also justified in that [[spoiler:he's invisible]] and would likely find dating to be difficult.
* WordOfGod via Creator/JohnCarmack confirms that the Doom Guy from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' is one, not caring for sexual attraction or lust, and only wanting to kill demons. ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' somewhat deconfirms this with the presence of a photo of the Slayer posing with his wife and son from a thousand years ago. Though having lost touch with his humanity over all these centuries, it's safe to say this part of his personality has died out.
* Sebastian in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is a priest who took a vow of celibacy, after a hedonistic youth as TheCasanova. Even if Hawke romances him, they never consummate the relationship (at least not in the game itself, unlike the other romance options).
* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the perk that identifies male characters as homosexual is named "Confirmed Bachelor", thus giving the player the opportunity to invoke the closet gay variety.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Prizmo in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' is averse to romantic relationships because of the compromises they demand, using the ever-present question of coordinating dinner plans as an example. Jake says that he has an overly bleak outlook on relationships and ends the episode saying that he needs to get that guy a girlfriend, although [[HoYay Prizmo seems more interested in Jake than women]].
* Granddad on ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' says at one point that he believes that "all marriage is wrong." It's unclear if he was serious or if he was jokingly trying to evade the question of his stance on gay marriage, but aside from raising his grandchildren, he certainly does fall into the CasanovaWannabe subtype in his lifestyle.
* Scrooge [=McDuck=] in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', something he loudly reaffirms after Ma Beagle runs a scam faking a marriage with him so she could get at his fortune. This seems to be a more recent development, however; in his youth, he seriously considered marrying Glittering Goldie, and there's clearly still something between them in the episodes where she appears.
[[/folder]]
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