: 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
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.
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

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Star-crossed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/star-crossed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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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