as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
Romeo and Juliet are among literature's most famous star-crossed lovers
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Recent Examples of star-crossed
So ends one of the most controversial and star-crossed investigations in history.
—
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
Flashback: Boeing's Starliner was star-crossed even before the inaugural crewed mission earlier this year.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 30 Sep. 2024
Few Olympic teams in any sport have had to rebound more times or overcome adversity more often than the U.S. women’s water polo team, the most successful in the world in the pool and the most star-crossed outside it.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
She’s swung so far in the opposite direction from the theatricality of star-crossed and the synth-y jams of Golden Hour that these songs barely even have drums.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2024
The attraction between the star-crossed, cross-cultural couple is electric and propulsive, lasting for years with unmitigated intensity.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
That’s a career best for the U.S. country artist, and third top 10 appearance following 2018’s Golden Hour (No. 6) and 2021’s star-crossed (No. 10).
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
Throughout 2020 and into 2021, the production seemed increasingly star-crossed.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Jan. 2024
From the beginning, then, El Señor Presidente has been star-crossed.
—Larry Rohter, The New York Review of Books, 4 May 2023
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
Flashback: Boeing's Starliner was star-crossed even before the inaugural crewed mission earlier this year.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 30 Sep. 2024
Few Olympic teams in any sport have had to rebound more times or overcome adversity more often than the U.S. women’s water polo team, the most successful in the world in the pool and the most star-crossed outside it.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
She’s swung so far in the opposite direction from the theatricality of star-crossed and the synth-y jams of Golden Hour that these songs barely even have drums.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2024
The attraction between the star-crossed, cross-cultural couple is electric and propulsive, lasting for years with unmitigated intensity.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
That’s a career best for the U.S. country artist, and third top 10 appearance following 2018’s Golden Hour (No. 6) and 2021’s star-crossed (No. 10).
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
Throughout 2020 and into 2021, the production seemed increasingly star-crossed.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Jan. 2024
From the beginning, then, El Señor Presidente has been star-crossed.
—Larry Rohter, The New York Review of Books, 4 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for star-crossed
Adjective
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Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
-
Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
That's become a new line of attack for the Trump administration, which is already unhappy with the Fed for not moving more aggressively to lower interest rates.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
14 July 2025
-
Speculation is that Ferrari is unhappy with Vasseur's performance, although these rumors have been shut down by Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
And yes, it must also be said that domestic and feral cats have been disastrous to the world's biodiversity, having contributed to the extinction of 40 bird and 21 mammal species – 26% of the extinctions in these groups – since the 1600s.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 July 2025
-
Hunt was the site of particularly disastrous flooding early in the morning on July 4, with officials saying the river swelled more than 20 feet in less than an hour and ultimately killed at least 103 people countywide, including dozens of children at a riverside summer camp called Camp Mystic.—
July 13,
CBS News,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
Few leave unscathed as the handheld camera whip-pans and fast-zooms between cringe-comedy and genuine pathos and back again — especially once the hapless prof paves his own road to hell with his good intentions.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
19 May 2025
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As Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie took on the role of hapless underdog against the heavy favorite Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court on Tuesday, another David and Goliath battle was taking place in the High Court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
The offensive issues contributed to rookie Yankees starter Will Warren (6-5) suffering a hard-luck loss.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
-
The offensive issues contributed to a hard-luck loss for rookie Yankees starter Will Warren, who surrendered a home run to the game’s first batter, Michael Busch, but was otherwise sharp.—
Peter Sblendorio,
Hartford Courant,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/star-crossed. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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