star-crossed

American  

[stahr-krawst, -krost] / ˈstɑrˌkrɔst, -ˌkrɒst /

adjective

1. thwarted or opposed by the stars; ill-fated.

   star-crossed lovers.

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star-crossed British  

adjective

1. dogged by ill luck; destined to misfortune

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Etymology

Origin of star-crossed

First recorded in 1585–95

Explanation

When it seems like you're doomed to have bad luck, you're star-crossed. You may feel like your camping plans are star-crossed if it rains every time you head into the woods with your sleeping bag. Shakespeare coined this term in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet, when he described his tragic protagonists as "a pair of star-cross'd lovers." Right off the bat, he made it clear that these two will have terrible luck as they repeatedly try to be together. The stars themselves seem to be working against them, an idea that reflected the common 16th-century belief that the position of the stars could control a person's fate.

Example Sentences

Their retelling imagines the star-crossed lovers meeting later in life, repositioning the story from a perspective of age and experience, with the title characters aged in their 40s.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

But this one feels like the truth of one man’s star-crossed life.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025

Class is the central theme in “Egoist”: Kosuke and Ryuta’s star-crossed romance shows us how money, and the struggle to make ends meet, can complicate even the most genuine love.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2024

The six-episode series follows their star-crossed characters, Rick and Michonne, as they fight to find their way back to one another after years of separation.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

They would have thought we were star-crossed lovers.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven