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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And in the process of owning your role in the unfortunate circumstances, remember, never blame your superior or the board in a public forum.—
Carol Geffner,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
While Malle is clearly qualified to oversee editorial content, the timing is unfortunate for her chances.—
Laurie Brookins,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
This gives the creditor an additional target to pursue and make very unhappy which can indirectly put pressure on the debtor to pay the judgment.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
-
Circulation increased and the publication won two Pulitzer Prizes, but the owner, conservative Harry Guggenheim, was unhappy with the paper’s shift to the left, and he and Moyers were divided over the Vietnam War and the 1968 presidential election.—
Carmel Dagan,
Variety,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Skipping this governance checkpoint essentially means letting people create powerful and untested tools for decision making, which could be disastrous to an organization’s future success.—
Larry English,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
Trading away Jokic would be disastrous, and the thought of it is just as bad.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The hapless president’s parachute gets stuck in a tree and the savvy prime minister gets him down.—
Caryn James,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
-
The Balloon Boy hoax would seem to have all the right elements for a revisitation: a hapless, alleged victim (6-year-old Falcon Heene), sky-high danger (the balloon reached about 7,000 feet), daringly duplicitous parents (Richard and Mayumi Heene), and a national profile that gripped audiences.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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The final outs were symbolic of their hard-luck day — including 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position — with Yandy Diaz lacing a 100.6-mph line drive into a double play.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 June 2025
-
Royals starter Noah Cameron took a hard-luck loss despite allowing just two runs.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/star-crossed. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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