Meaning & use

star-crossed

adjective·Advanced

Doomed to fail or suffer misfortune because of fate, especially in romantic relationships.

See it in a sentence

Romeo and Juliet remain literature's most famous star-crossed lovers.

Their star-crossed romance ended in heartbreak despite years of devotion.

A note on using this word

Star-crossed almost always describes lovers or relationships doomed by fate, rarely other kinds of misfortune.

Words with a similar meaning

ill-fateddoomed

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

fortunate

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