Meaning & use
star-crossed
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Unlucky because fate has decided that you will suffer, especially in love.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: star-crossed lovers. Not used after a verb.
Patterns
- star-crossed lovers
- star-crossed romance
The play tells the story of star-crossed lovers whose families hate each other.
They felt like star-crossed lovers, always meeting at the wrong time.
Critics called the film a star-crossed romance with a sad ending.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Having bad luck that seems planned by fate; doomed to fail.
Grammar: Still used before a noun, but can describe projects or people, not only love.
Patterns
- a star-crossed project
- star-crossed careers
The star-crossed expedition lost all its supplies in the first week.
After three failed launches, the star-crossed space program was canceled.
Common combinations
- star-crossed lovers
- Romeo and Juliet are the most famous star-crossed lovers in English literature.
- star-crossed romance
- Their star-crossed romance ended when she moved abroad.
- star-crossed pair
- The novel follows a star-crossed pair who can never be together.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ill-fated
- More general and less romantic; it can describe any unlucky plan or journey.
- doomed
- Stronger and more final: it says failure is certain, while star-crossed stresses bad luck from fate.
- unlucky
- Plain everyday word; star-crossed sounds literary and dramatic.
Opposites
Commonly confused: star-crossed or cross-eyed?
star-crossed vs cross-eyed
Cross-eyed means having eyes that look inward. Star-crossed is about fate and bad luck, not eyes.
Practice
Which sentence uses star-crossed correctly?
Choose one answer.
Star-crossed goes before a noun and describes lovers or people doomed by fate, so 'star-crossed lovers' fits. 'Star-crossed weather' is wrong because the word describes people or romances, not weather. 'Were star-crossed to meet' is wrong because the word is not used after a verb with 'to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “star-crossed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.