Romeo and Juliet-esque

adjective

Resembling or characteristic of the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare or its eponymous protagonists.

Meanings

adjectiveRomeo and Juliet-esque or Romeo and Juliet-esque (comparative more Romeo and Juliet-esque, superlative most Romeo and Juliet-esque)

comparative more Romeo and Juliet-esque · superlative most Romeo and Juliet-esque · alternative Romeo-and-Juliet-esque · alternative Romeo and Julietesque · alternative Romeo-and-Julietesque · alternative Romeo & Juliet-esque

  1. Resembling or characteristic of the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare or its eponymous protagonists.

    Movie: Love Story: Sappy, sentimental and romantic, this Romeo and Juliet-esque tragedy from director Arthur Hiller has become a classic.

    2002 August 12, “TV highlights”, in The Palm Beach Post, volume 94, number 129, West Palm Beach, Fla., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5E
    5 more examples

    SHALOM SALAAM (9.30 pm BBC2) Apart from running the EastEnders’ shop, the Asian community doesn’t seem to exist on British TV. This Romeo and Juliet-esque story of the love between a Muslim girl and a Jewish boy, and the conflicts it causes, is certainly a step in the right direction.

    1989 April 22, Liz Anstee, “Timewatch: Look ahead with Liz; Our 7 day TV Guide: See how they run”, in South Wales Echo, number 39,668, Cardiff, →OCLC, page 32, column 3

    There are plenty of gritty, beautifully choreographed scenes, with surprises like enemy soldiers popping out of the sand and Romeo and Juliet-esque fake-out death potions.

    2002 September 26, Eva Simonich, “The Four Feathers”, in Buzz (The Daily Illini), number 160, Champaign, Ill., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15, column 3

    When Jim Leonard first created the concept for Fox’s Skin, a stylistically sensual, Romeo and Juliet-esque tale with pornography and politics as its core, he was urged to take it to cable.

    2003 August 1, Ken Parish Perkins, “Not-so-great expectations: TV types too quick to celebrate mediocrity”, in Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 98th year, number 98, Fort Worth, Tex., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 7E, column 1

    Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’s 1961 musical tells the story of the Romeo and Juliet-esque love affair between a reformed New York gang member and a Puerto Rican immigrant. When Tony (Richard Beymer) sets eyes on Maria (Natalie Wood) at a dance, it’s love at first sight – but from the beginning, their relationship is threatened by the animosity between their gangs.

    2009 January 4, “Watch this: Your at-a-glance guide to this week’s unmissable films and TV shows”, in The Independent on Sunday, number 984, London, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 44, column 3

    Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Omar tells a Romeo and Juliet-esque West Bank tale where Omar is accustomed to dodging surveillance when crossing the separation wall to visit his secret love Nadia.

    2014 March 5, “Hot Ticket: Hawaii’s celebrity movie reviews”, in MidWeek Oahu (Honolulu Star-Advertiser), volume 30, number 33, Honolulu, Haw., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 79, column 4

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

Romeo and Juliet-esque. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet-esque

MLA

“Romeo and Juliet-esque.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet-esque. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Romeo and Juliet-esque,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Romeo%20and%20Juliet-esque.

Source: Romeo and Juliet-esque on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.