star-crossed

adjective

ˈstär-ˌkrȯst How to pronounce star-crossed (audio)
Definition of star-crossednext
as in unhappy
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck Romeo and Juliet are among literature's most famous star-crossed lovers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of star-crossed The best bet is that SpaceX proves a scientific triumph, and star-crossed as an stock. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026 Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie lead the series as the star-crossed, puck-smashing Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026 Yes, Netflix's Regency-era romance drama (Season 4 Part 1 now streaming) has returned for a new year of lustful glances, hopelessly star-crossed lovers and absolutely absurd balls for a fourth go-round, this time with a story all about the second Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson). — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026 The Vikings have begun a new year with yet another quarterback quandary, a familiar scenario for this star-crossed franchise. — CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for star-crossed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for star-crossed
  1. unhappy
  2. unfortunate
  3. luckless
  4. disastrous
  5. hapless
  6. hard-luck
  7. doomed
Adjective
  • Before long, the book moves back in time to shadow the king himself, an unhappy leader thrust into his role by chance and now on the brink of death.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Age came with evidence — every mistake, playoff loss and unhappy ending.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Every mosquito has a type Count me among the unfortunate souls who are mosquito magnets; something about my body chemistry is irresistible to those tiny bloodsucking fiends.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • This year, the final was between Kerry, historically the sport’s most successful side, and Mayo, one of Ireland’s smaller counties by population and, in football terms, the most luckless.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • The one in which his tiny team of negotiators surrendered to the radicals ruling that luckless nation.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Definition of luckless
Adjective
  • Arjun Poudel, a health reporter in Nepal, was commuting to the offices of the Kathmandu Post, in the country’s capital, when messages started coming in about a disastrous flood in his home town, close to the border with China.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Since a disastrous debut, the rookie right-hander has allowed just two runs over his last 9 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • This goes all kinds of wrong, setting off a viral brouhaha and turning the hapless Owen into an unwitting pariah.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • His siblings were aghast to see Ralph depicted as the hapless poor dad in the book.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of hapless
Adjective
  • Caleb’s reputation Until now, Caleb has enjoyed a reputation as a hard-luck farmboy who was led on by Kenzie and never got a fair shake in the villa.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The hard-luck righty is 0-8 in 12 starts since June 12, in part because the Orioles have provided him only 15 runs of support in those dozen outings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of hard-luck
Adjective
  • Once the film was released, critics widely praised Page’s searing performance as the doomed Greek soldier Sinon, and even some of Page’s detractors online were won over by his work.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Nor are our efforts to hire better doomed, even though the odds are stacked against us.
    — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of doomed

Browse Nearby Words

starchy
star-crossed
stardom
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/star-crossed. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inexorable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All