star-crossed lovers

¹

1. Lovers whose relationship is doomed to fail are said to be “star-crossed” (frustrated by the stars), because those who believe in astrology claim that the stars control human destiny. William Shakespeare used the phrase to describe the lovers in Romeo and Juliet.

star-crossed lovers

²

1. A phrase from the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare; Romeo and Juliet are so described in the prologue to the play.

“Star-crossed lovers” refers to any lovers whose affection for each other is doomed to end in tragedy.

Example Sentences

Spanning over 150 years, this multigenerational American epic connects star-crossed lovers Tirzah and Harrison, formerly enslaved spouses whose Civil War separation sets the story in motion, to Ardelia and Oliver, a couple celebrating their engagement in 2019 New York.

From Salon

Yet the comic high jinks, star-crossed lovers and long-lost relatives that pop up in his play “The Miser,” first produced in 1668, will be instantly familiar to anybody who has ever seen a Shakespeare comedy.

From New York Times

“Fairytale of New York” flips this notion on its head by celebrating star-crossed lovers, gamblers and bums in a drunk tank — all the misfits who are searching for a family of their own on Christmas Eve.

From Los Angeles Times

Lucy Gray and Corio are also star-crossed lovers like Maria and Tony but the chemistry is palpable and highly charged.

From Salon

Naturally, the star-crossed lovers are torn apart by cultural and racial differences, all while singing and dancing their hearts out.

From Salon