: not favored by the stars : ill-fated
a pair of star-crossed lovers take their lifeWilliam Shakespeare

Examples of star-crossed in a Sentence

Romeo and Juliet are among literature's most famous star-crossed lovers
Recent Examples on the Web 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 As if Cronin’s horse racing weekend wasn’t star-crossed enough, The Del Mar Group won a claiming race worth $24,000 on Saturday at Santa Anita but the horse was claimed by another group for $25,000. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2023 Colby Lewis was solid; Kevin Millwood a workhorse; Matt Harrison, star-crossed. Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 9 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'star-crossed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of star-crossed was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near star-crossed

Cite this Entry

“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star-crossed. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

star-crossed

adjective
ˈstär-ˌkrȯst
Etymology

so called from the idea that stars control the lives and actions of people

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