ill-starred

/'il'stɑ:d/
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ill-starred

The ill-starred ship sank beneath the stormy waves.

Definition
  1. Adjective:
    • Marked by or promising bad fortune; unlucky; destined to fail or end badly: The word "ill-starred" describes something that seems fated to have an unfortunate or disastrous outcome, often from the very beginning. It implies a sense of doom or misfortune, as if influenced by an unlucky star.
Usage
  • General Use: "Ill-starred" is a formal or literary adjective used to describe events, projects, relationships, or endeavors that are characterized by persistent bad luck or that end in failure or tragedy.
  • Position: It is typically used attributively (before a noun) but can also be used predicatively (after a linking verb like "was").
  • Connotation: The word carries a strong connotation of fate or destiny, suggesting the misfortune was perhaps inevitable.
Examples
  • Attributive Use (before a noun):
    • The ill-starred expedition was lost at sea. (The expedition was fated to end badly.)
    • She reflected on her ill-starred marriage. (Her marriage was marked by misfortune.)
  • Predicative Use (after a linking verb):
    • Their attempt at reconciliation proved ill-starred. (Their attempt was unlucky and failed.)
    • The project was ill-starred from its conception. (The project was doomed from the start.)
Advanced Usage
  • "Ill-starred" vs. "Unlucky": While "unlucky" is a general term for bad luck, "ill-starred" is more specific and dramatic, often implying a doomed fate or a series of misfortunes leading to a catastrophic end. It is more common in written narratives than in everyday speech.
  • Literary and Historical Context: The term is frequently used in literature, history, and journalism to describe famously tragic events or figures.
    • Historians often write about the ill-starred reign of the king. (His rule was filled with disastrous events.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Ill-fated (adjective): Almost identical in meaning to "ill-starred," meaning destined to fail or end unhappily.
    • The ill-fated Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
  • Star-crossed (adjective): A closely related literary term, popularized by Shakespeare ("star-crossed lovers"), meaning thwarted by bad luck or an unfavorable destiny.
    • They were a pair of star-crossed lovers.
  • Doomed (adjective): Destined to fail or suffer death, destruction, or a terrible fate. It is more direct and less literary than "ill-starred."
    • The doomed spacecraft lost contact with Earth.
Synonyms
  • Unlucky: Having or marked by bad luck.
  • Hapless: Unfortunate, especially deserving pity.
  • Jinxed: Believed to be under a jinx; bringing bad luck.
  • Cursed: Afflicted by or as if by a curse.
Idioms and Phrases
  • Born under an unlucky/ill star: This idiom shares the same astrological imagery as "ill-starred," meaning destined to be unlucky in life.
    • He seemed to have been born under an ill star, as nothing ever went right for him.
ill-starred

The ill-starred ship sank beneath the stormy waves.

Adjective
  1. marked by or promising bad fortune
    • their business venture was doomed from the start
    • an ill-fated business venture
    • an ill-starred romance
    • the unlucky prisoner was again put in irons- W.H.Prescott

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