ill-starred
1
9.0
- adjective
- /ˌɪlˈstɑrd/
- Literature
- 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
220
4.9
Certain to have a bad end, like failure or destruction
136
5.3
Having bad luck because of a magic spell, sometimes used to show anger or strong feeling
89
1.0
Having bad luck that causes problems
19
6.1
Likely to have very bad luck and end badly
15
8.8
Suffering bad luck and likely to have more trouble
5
7.9
Having a lot of bad luck that causes many problems
2
5.3
A person who has many bad things happen to them
1
7.1
Unlucky and in need of help
1
8.7
A thing that people think will bring bad luck
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.