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

Last year, researchers at Harvard University and Baylor University discovered that, on average, young adults aged between 18 to 29 are deeply unhappy.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 July 2026
Licensed cannabis operators in states that have legalized marijuana tend to support the ban—they’re unhappy that hemp intoxicants face far less regulation and taxation than their products.

— Peter Su, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of unhappy

Adjective

Healthcare has an unfortunate tendency to confuse organizational structure with progress.

— Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
This leads to another unfortunate confrontation with a Bowden parent, as Tom drags Cady into the street and beats him up in full view of lookie-loos with phone cameras.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 10 July 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

There’s no excuse for the disastrous outcome of this very expensive renovation.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026
Experts suggest that this significant addition to the technological ecosystem in orbit could have disastrous consequences for life on Earth.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 9 July 2026

Definition of disastrous

Adjective

The one in which his tiny team of negotiators surrendered to the radicals ruling that luckless nation.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Any one of those locations could have allowed the heat of reentry to burn through the aluminum alloy walls of the spacecraft, killing any luckless crew that may have been inside, in much the kind of reentry breakup that doomed the shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew in 2003.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Apr. 2026

Definition of luckless

Adjective

After following Thomson to the parking lot, Neil began rocking a van, as bystanders laughed and the hapless driver tried to extract his vehicle.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Japan scored twice in each half and kept a hapless Tunisia down to a shot apiece either side of the break.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 7 July 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 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ill-starred

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bibelot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes