stark

adjective

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\ ˈstärk

Definition of stark

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : rigid in or as if in death

b : rigidly conforming (as to a pattern or doctrine) : absolute stark discipline

2 archaic : strong, robust

3 : utter, sheer stark nonsense

4a : barren, desolate

b(1) : having few or no ornaments : bare a stark white room

(2) : harsh, blunt the stark realities of death

5 : sharply delineated a stark contrast

stark

adverb

Definition of stark (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : in a stark manner

2 : to an absolute or complete degree : wholly stark naked stark mad

Other Words from stark Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing stark Learn More About stark

Examples of stark in a Sentence

Adjective The room was decorated with stark simplicity. the stark reality of death This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of drunk driving. There is a stark difference between them. His criticism of the movie stands in stark contrast to the praise it has received from others.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The difference between the Diamondbacks success with Kelly and Herrera behind the plate has been stark. — Theo Mackie, The Arizona Republic, 10 Aug. 2022 The political dividing lines in this primary are not very stark. — Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2022 The differences between 2022 and 2021 are stark, to say the least. — Allison Morrow, CNN, 4 Aug. 2022 The difference was stark: During the second year of the pandemic, half of the workers who changed jobs saw their pay increase 9.7%, while the median worker who stayed in the same job experienced a loss of 1.7%. — Jena Mcgregor, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 The figures are stark -- there are only about 200 Black women pilots in the U.S., accounting for less than 1 percent of the profession, according to Sisters of the Skies, an organization advocating for Black women pilots. — Jade Lawson, ABC News, 30 July 2022 Meta’s declining revenue was especially stark given that as recently as 2019, its quarterly revenue growth was 28 percent. — New York Times, 27 July 2022 The drop-off has been particularly stark at Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen in Chicago. — Abha Bhattarai, Anchorage Daily News, 24 July 2022 The drop-off has been particularly stark at Manny’s Cafeteria & Delicatessen in Chicago. — Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb But the lack of health insurance, sick pay and other protections for many Americans, including Uber contractors, is stark now. — Shira Ovide, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2020 The divide is stark between the two categories of states. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2020 The contrast is most stark between California and New York. — refinery29.com, 1 Apr. 2020 The implications are undeniably stark: Informal caregivers will no doubt continue to absorb the majority of the strain. — Grace Hatton, STAT, 24 Dec. 2019 But the climactic sequence of Midsommar features one of the last surviving Americans running stark naked across the noonday greensward with nobody obviously chasing him. — Ross Douthat, National Review, 25 July 2019 Around the turn of the last century, our place, which is now surrounded by woods, sat stark on a bald hilltop with nary a tree in sight. — Vogue, 21 June 2018 Kruger’s stark, carefully laid out design cleverly turns the façade of an innocuous strip-building into the memory of a Greek temple, the classical style in which art museums were once conventionally built. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, 14 June 2018 Joslyn Gray is the author of the humor blog stark. raving. — Joslyn Gray, Redbook, 12 Mar. 2012 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.