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
Think how many times during Rodgers’ Green Bay tenure that the quarterback played well, only to have the Packers’ star-crossed special teams betray him.
—
Mike Sando, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Lesbian star-crossed lovers à la Bonnie and Clyde?
—Quispe López, Them., 29 Aug. 2025
The duo play star-crossed BFFs in the epic romance, which Goldstein co-wrote with William Bridges.
—Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
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
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
Mike Sando, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Lesbian star-crossed lovers à la Bonnie and Clyde?
—Quispe López, Them., 29 Aug. 2025
The duo play star-crossed BFFs in the epic romance, which Goldstein co-wrote with William Bridges.
—Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for star-crossed
Adjective
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This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Both Ways on Netflix The Lovebirds In the 2020 adventure comedy The Lovebirds, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play an unhappy couple on the brink of splitting up.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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But surveys have also shown many reservists are unhappy with the cabinet's plans, some openly accusing the government of lacking a cohesive strategy, a post-war plan for Gaza or a clear benchmark for victory.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Vasyanovych plays Roman, a luckless director who’s out of work and trying to shoot his latest film in a country whose dwindling population is still traumatized by the war.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Schools’ failure to follow IEPs has resulted in disastrous cases of educational neglect for students like Makenley and Maddox O’Connor.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
8 Sep. 2025
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The New York Jets sent that message to Rodgers following a disastrous two-year term.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Passed over to his hapless son (Dacre Montgomery), our (anti-)hero wires a shotgun to his head and takes him hostage, claiming that the organization’s business maneuvers cheated him out of a substantial fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
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Hawley waited until the start of the fifth season to lean all the way into the comparison, by borrowing the movie’s inciting incident where a Minnesota Nice housewife is kidnapped by two goons — one hapless, one relentless and seemingly mystical.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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 10 Sep. 2025.
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