as in unhappy
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
The legacy of nuclear propulsion is deep and star-crossed.
—
David W. Brown, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
The star-crossed extra twist, of course, was that only days after the national-title game the rules changed to allow the dunk again.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
The best bet is that SpaceX proves a scientific triumph, and star-crossed as an stock.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie lead the series as the star-crossed, puck-smashing Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Yes, Netflix's Regency-era romance drama (Season 4 Part 1 now streaming) has returned for a new year of lustful glances, hopelessly star-crossed lovers and absolutely absurd balls for a fourth go-round, this time with a story all about the second Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson).
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
The Vikings have begun a new year with yet another quarterback quandary, a familiar scenario for this star-crossed franchise.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
The sweeping romance set across three decades of passion, loss, and hope in Beirut stars Hassan Akil and Mounia Akl as Nino and Yasmina, star-crossed lovers bound by a magnetic relationship, one an eternal optimist and the other an impulsive pragmatist.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, star-crossed lovers Ellen (Harriet Slater) and Brian (Jamie Roy) managed to plot an escape of their own — but not before getting some major blood on their hands.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
David W. Brown, Scientific American, 31 Mar. 2026
The star-crossed extra twist, of course, was that only days after the national-title game the rules changed to allow the dunk again.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
The best bet is that SpaceX proves a scientific triumph, and star-crossed as an stock.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie lead the series as the star-crossed, puck-smashing Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Feb. 2026
Yes, Netflix's Regency-era romance drama (Season 4 Part 1 now streaming) has returned for a new year of lustful glances, hopelessly star-crossed lovers and absolutely absurd balls for a fourth go-round, this time with a story all about the second Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson).
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
The Vikings have begun a new year with yet another quarterback quandary, a familiar scenario for this star-crossed franchise.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
The sweeping romance set across three decades of passion, loss, and hope in Beirut stars Hassan Akil and Mounia Akl as Nino and Yasmina, star-crossed lovers bound by a magnetic relationship, one an eternal optimist and the other an impulsive pragmatist.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, star-crossed lovers Ellen (Harriet Slater) and Brian (Jamie Roy) managed to plot an escape of their own — but not before getting some major blood on their hands.
—Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for star-crossed
Adjective
-
With the Mets taking a 2-1 lead, Rodón, clearly unhappy, appeared to curse at himself as Austin Wells patted him on the shoulder.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
-
Janet reportedly attended an early private screening of the rough cut of the film and walked away pretty unhappy.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
However, Cincinnati and Washington have been done in by unfortunate injuries and organizational disorder.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
The unfortunate problem is that, like most other things, the system can be gamed—people could submit flawed content that lists people as authors who have never been involved.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
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
-
Stearns had nothing to do with any of them — and everything to do with the disastrous offseason that made the Mets the worst team in baseball for most of April.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
Based on a script by Justin Varava that made the 2024 Black List, Turpentine follows a deadbeat son who hires friends to rob his own parents to pay off a bookie, with disastrous results.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rooting for a hapless team for nearly two decades teaches you to find pleasures beyond victory.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Oilers went back to Connor Ingram in goal after a hard-luck overtime loss for Tristan Jarry in Game 4.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Apr. 2026
-
There’s some dark subject matter, and some hard-luck people on the fringes.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lebedeva, who is astonishing here, feels less like a doomed Chabrol heroine than someone cut out of Antonioni.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
-
That’s the 1935 George and Ira Gershwin classic about a doomed love affair set in Charleston’s Black community of Catfish Row.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/star-crossed. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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