ill-starred
1
9.0
- adjective
- /ˌɪlˈstɑrd/
- Literature
:
desafortunado
- The ill-starred journey ended with the crew stranded on a deserted island.
- made an ill-starred
Examples
-
I turn now from the ill-starred Mozambican experience to some alternate scenarios in the development of American Studies abroad.
Academic text (1998) -
A ragged Robin inspiring another ill-starred revolt.
-
And that phrase was the start of my ill-starred writing.
Fiction book (1992) -
History is but one of Auden's ill-starred words.
Academic text (2002) -
This retracing of lines in an ill-starred horoscope must begin to prove more than the same old theories of rejection.
Fiction book (1995) -
The Adams quote so often cited was in a letter he wrote in 1813 and referred to public opinion about the French Revolution and the subsequent war between France and England that complicated his ill-starred presidency.
Blog text (16) -
Yet for all the ballyhoo, hosannas, and lucrative negotiations, the journey of the James Ossuary to Toronto was ill-starred.
Academic text (2003) -
Non-New Yorkers don't follow these things closely, but Mayor Bloomberg's standing in the city has never recovered from his ill-starred decision to run for a third term.
Blog text (23) -
In The Fear, his fourth book about his ill-starred homeland, Godwin exposes the more complicated reasons for the world's weariness with Zimbabwe's agonies.
Academic text (2011) -
His ill-starred attempts to start a business always ended in failure.
Synonyms
91
1.0
Having bad luck that causes problems
19
6.1
Likely to have very bad luck and end badly
7
4.9
Certain to have a bad end, like failure or destruction
2
5.3
A person who has many bad things happen to them
2
7.9
Having a lot of bad luck that causes many problems
1
5.3
Having bad luck because of a magic spell, sometimes used to show anger or strong feeling
1
7.1
Unlucky and in need of help
A thing that people think will bring bad luck
Suffering bad luck and likely to have more trouble
Antonyms
How Lucky
Surface Forms
Morphology
ill-starred = starred (semi-transparent) = ill + star + ed
The prefix 'ill-' clearly signals bad, but understanding 'starred' as referring to fate/destiny is somewhat idiomatic and may be unfamiliar to learners.
Etymology
Ill-starred comes from an old idea that the stars decide our lives: ill- means 'bad' and star was seen as a sign of someone's 'future'. So, to be ill-starred is to be under bad stars and to have bad luck.