stark

play

adjective \ ˈstärk \

Definition of stark

1 a :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

4 a :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

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starkly

adverb

—

starkness

noun

See stark defined for English-language learners

See stark defined for kids

Examples of stark in a Sentence

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 of stark from the Web

His reputation as a man of principle with little ego is a stark contrast to his predecessor, a brawler who became enmeshed in a wide array of scandals, according to people who have associated with both men.

— eric newcomer, Bloomberg.com, "New Uber CEO Hints at 2019 IPO as He Takes Over Troubled Startup," 30 Aug. 2017
Even now, there’s sometimes a stark piercing terror in taking your own self seriously.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of August 28," 28 Aug. 2017
Yet if there are genuine opportunities that emerge, making progress on a few key issues could work in the favor of Democrats by providing a stark contrast to the destructive path of the commander in chief.

— julian e. zelizer, The Atlantic, "What Would It Take for Democrats and Republicans to Work Together?," 27 Aug. 2017
Republicans represent the Keys in Congress and in Tallahassee, and the GOP typically wins most local elections outside of Key West, but local officials care deeply about climate change and its impacts, a stark contrast from the Trump administration.

— alex daugherty, miamiherald, "Trump’s anti-climate change crusade doesn’t worry the Florida Keys," 25 Aug. 2017
That testimony appeared to be in stark contrast to Proano's actions on the nearly three-minute video footage, which has been showed to jurors at both regular speed and in slow motion.

— jason meisner, chicagotribune.com, "Cops trained to shoot only as last resort, expert testifies at shooting trial," 24 Aug. 2017
But once the event started, social media was flooded with photos of the peaceful vigil, showing a stark contrast to the horrifying images that rocked Charlottesville—and the rest of the country.

— megan friedman, Esquire, "Charlottesville Came Together to Heal Last Night," 17 Aug. 2017
The relatively new Cross Border Xpress bridge to Rodriguez International Airport stands in stark contrast to where Trump is headed.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Why the San Diego City Council's anti-border wall push is a problem for Mayor Faulconer," 6 Aug. 2017
The contrast with farming societies, which dominated history after the domestication of plants and animals about 10,000 years ago, is stark.

— The Economist, "Living off the land," 20 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of stark

Middle English, stiff, strong, from Old English stearc; akin to Old High German starc strong, Lithuanian starinti to stiffen — more at stare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

stark Synonyms

Synonyms

austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, gruff, intimidating, lowering (also louring), rough, rugged, severe, grim, steely, stern, ungentle

Antonyms

benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender

Near Antonyms

bland, meek, mellow, soft, soothing; easy, quiet, tranquil; agreeable, bright, cheerful, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, sweet; glad, happy, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, sunny; featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, playful, scatterbrained, silly

stark

adverb

Definition of stark

1 :in a stark manner

2 :to an absolute or complete degree :wholly

stark naked

stark mad

See stark defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of stark from the Web

The stats seem pretty stark: Women in rural areas in our survey are far less likely than their city sisters to describe themselves as beautiful (only 28 percent did, compared with 43 percent of women in urban areas).

— Glamour, "Why Women Who Live in Rural Areas Are Often More Depressed," 1 Aug. 2017
The fates of the asylum-seeking families are particularly stark in Charlotte.

— julia preston | the marshall project, Washington Post, "Migrants in surge fare worse in immigration court than other groups," 30 July 2017
The experts noted clear changes from Trump’s unscripted answers 30 years ago to those in 2017, in some cases stark enough to raise questions about his brain health. . .

— bess levin, vanityfair.com, "Experts: Trump’s Speaking Style “Raises Questions About His Brain Health”," 24 May 2017
But the contrast is stark between widespread indifference to another attempt by Abbas to resume U.S.-led negotiations with Israel on Palestinian statehood and the Palestinian public’s emotional show of support for the prisoners.

— Washington Post, "Israel official: 870 Palestinians remain on hunger strike," 1 May 2017

First Known Use of stark

13th century

Stark

play

biographical name \ ˈshtärk , ˈstärk \

Definition of Stark

Johannes 1874–1957 German physicist

Stark

play

biographical name \ ˈstärk \

Definition of Stark

John 1728–1822 American general in Revolution

STARK Defined for English Language Learners

stark

play

adjective

Definition of stark for English Language Learners

: having a very plain and often cold or empty appearance
: unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience
: very obvious : very plain and easily seen

stark

adverb

Definition of stark for English Language Learners

: completely or fully

STARK Defined for Kids

stark

play

adjective \ ˈstärk \

Definition of stark for Students

starker; starkest

1 :barren 2, desolate

a stark landscape

2 :clear and harsh

She faced the stark reality of poverty.

3 :very obvious

The differences were stark.

stark

adverb

Definition of stark for Students

:completely

stark naked

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stark

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