all's well that ends well
- idiom
- She also busted out the "we probably should have had you tested for all this when you were a kid since you showed signs even back then, but you turned out okay, so I guess all's well that ends well."
Examples
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After facing many challenges, they finally reached their destination safely; I guess all's well that ends well.
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The project had numerous setbacks, but it was a success in the end, proving that all's well that ends well.
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But all's well that ends well.
Blog text (11) -
Despite the difficult journey, their reunion was joyful, and it's true what they say: all's well that ends well.
Synonyms
Everything is fine with no problems or worries
A situation that seems very good but may hide problems
Everything is fine and working well
Words that comfort someone by saying things will get better
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
all's + well + that + end + well
The meaning is directly compositional: 'all's' (all is) + 'well' qualified by the relative clause 'that ends well' yields 'everything is fine if it has a good ending.' The proverb follows transparent logical composition and has clear parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the intended meaning despite slightly archaic phrasing.
Etymology
All's well that ends well is an old saying that paints a simple picture: if the end is 'good', then all the earlier trouble does not matter. That's why we say it when a difficult situation finishes with a good result.