ILL-STARRED Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

ill-starred

adjective

ˈil-ˈstärd

Definition of ill-starred

as in unhappy

having, prone to, or marked by bad luck an ill-starred attempt to circumnavigate the earth in a balloon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-starred

Adjective

Advocates unhappy with California AG Media advocacy group Free Press criticized California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
Such promotions on social media and elsewhere might trigger some unhappy conversations between taxpayers and legitimate tax professionals.

— Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

One of these evils had the mass murder of civilians as its intended goal; the other claims that its victims are unfortunate accidents.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
But those who get too close risk far more than a soaking, as Niagara is a graveyard for the reckless, the unfortunate and the desperate.

— Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

The agency might even take the opportunity to completely redesign the disastrous Ashland, Armitage and Elston Avenue intersection and save generations of Chicagoans the headache of spending 15 minutes navigating through a single stoplight.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Where his focus has been following the Dolphins’ special team unit’s disastrous performance in Miami’s 27-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders is patching the leaks that led to three massive returns to the Raiders and a missing a field-goal attempt.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of disastrous

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 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
Neither will the hapless farmer’s mane, soon rendering him a yeti-like village pariah.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of hapless

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.

Browse Nearby Words

ills

ill-starred

ill-tempered

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ill-starred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-starred. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ill-starred

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tactile

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes