A man who has recently been married, especially one who was a confirmed bachelor before; also spelled 'Benedick' as a proper name from Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'.
From the character Benedick in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' (early 1600s), who finally agrees to marry Beatrice after long resisting matrimony. The term generalized from this literary reference.
Shakespeare created this character so perfectly that his name became a slang term for newly-married bachelors—it's one of the rare examples of a fictional character's name entering the dictionary as a common noun!
From Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' (1599), Benedick is a male character whose name became synonymous with a reluctant bridegroom or misogynist. The gendered cultural narrative conflates bachelorhood with male resistance to women.
Avoid using to characterize resistance to commitment as inherently male. If referencing the character or archetype, acknowledge that relationship reluctance is gender-neutral.
["reluctant bride or groom","commitment-hesitant person"]
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