star-crossed lovers

¹ Cultural  

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.

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star-crossed lovers ² Cultural  

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

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

Example Sentences

Still, there is pleasure to be had in watching these initially star-crossed lovers dodge all the lectures and prophecies of doom — the always excellent Constance Zimmer shows up as Bessette’s mother, who is not happy about the match either — as they make their way to each other.

From Los Angeles Times

By the Renaissance, writers such as Shakespeare were talking of "star-crossed lovers", couples bound together by an overwhelming connection yet pulled apart by family, fortune or fate, as if the universe itself both wrote their love story and barred them from a happy ending.

From BBC

They will portray the star-crossed lovers on stage at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from March 2026, as first reported by US outlet Deadline.

From BBC

Jessica and Erik Berglund, who live in Orange just around where Freeman grew up, are star-crossed lovers in MLB terms, with Jessica bleeding Dodgers blue and Erik cheering on the Angels.

From Los Angeles Times

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