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

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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
  • Its success made Cohn a rich, if unhappy, man, at least for a long while.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 Oct. 2026
  • What appeared to be a fairly normal election for a president halfway through his term — a probable setback, as unhappy voters register their discontent — has the potential, Cook said, to turn into a disaster for Republicans.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • These unfortunate souls were supposed to stay in their birthplace, hoping church charity would sustain them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Artistic but flighty, Deborah ends up at her parents’ alma mater when an unfortunate incident gets her NYU Tisch School of the Arts acceptance rescinded.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • During these walking meditations my notebook starts to feel suspiciously similar to the luckless young climber’s selfie camera.
    — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of luckless
Adjective
  • The designer had felt the atmosphere shift after her disastrous outdoor cruise collection in Marseille in May 2024, which was marred by a mini-storm.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • European leaders and oil executives at the time said that such a ban would be disastrous for long-term oil flow.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • Fooling hapless web surfers into giving away their credentials by faking secure websites is easy, by comparison.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The destination of our hapless hero, a courier (Austin Abrams, absolutely awesome) who must transport an important package between medical facilities, is indeed the game’s residentially evil homebase of Racoon City.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of hapless
Adjective
  • And, of course, there won’t be many people who want to defend someone in that position — or, indeed, listen to any hard-luck stories — now the details have been outlined in court about his motorway rampage.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • After Yankees relievers got the Twins to ground into inning-ending double plays in the 9th, 10th and 12th innings, John Schreiber (2-4) took the hard-luck loss.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of hard-luck
Adjective
  • Kurdish-Canadian director Soran Mardookhi, with his latest documentary feature The Flight, recalls the doomed Ukraine Airlines Flight PS752 that in January 2020 crashed soon after taking off from an airport near Tehran.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Joe and Nathan’s doomed bromance started off tense, got better over time, and worsened again once Joe found another bro to romance with.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of doomed

Browse Nearby Words

starchy
star-crossed
stardom
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Cite this Entry

“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/star-crossed. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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