1
as in grim
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
stark and forbidding mountains that the settlers knew that they would have to cross
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
the school's stark prohibition against obscene slogans on clothing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in devoid
lacking contents that could or should be present
house buyers trying to imagine what those stark rooms would look like when filled with furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in desolate
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
a once-lush landscape rendered depressingly stark by strip-mining and deforestation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in spartan
providing only the essentials and nothing fancy or luxurious
monks who have committed themselves to living in stark cells and working and praying in silence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stark
Even a middle school student would perceive a stark difference between someone who voices a bogus theory and someone who acts on it.
—
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
That is a stark contrast from the March 3 primary, when Cornyn came out on top of Paxton by one percentage point.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 31 May 2026
The damage is especially stark in the central and southern lagoon, due to the combination of natural erosion and the dredging of shipping channels to access the Marghera industrial port in the 1960s.
—ABC News, 30 May 2026
The pitching splits between home and road have been stark.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stark
Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
That is a stark contrast from the March 3 primary, when Cornyn came out on top of Paxton by one percentage point.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 31 May 2026
The damage is especially stark in the central and southern lagoon, due to the combination of natural erosion and the dredging of shipping channels to access the Marghera industrial port in the 1960s.
—ABC News, 30 May 2026
The pitching splits between home and road have been stark.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
-
The world may have looked grim in what was also a penultimate week before elections, when the focus becomes necessarily not on joy but misery, the political premise being the winning candidate is the one who makes the electorate the angriest.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
The combination of factors threatens to make what is a grim situation worse.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
But moving Cale just to stay in that neighborhood would be sheer Looney Tunes.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
The NikeCourt dress features a black, lightweight semi-sheer dress layered over a crimson tank and is currently sold out.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
The dirt road leading to Bust’n B Ranch in Pioneertown, is long, narrow, and isolated, devoid of streetlights and rarely another car in sight.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2026
-
These blunders were a tragicomedy—a circus act entirely devoid of peanuts or joy.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Buddy was hiding in the bushes on the side of a desolate highway when he was found by a good Samaritan and brought to a rescue.—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
The bleak, desolate masterpiece from 1989’s Pretty Hate Machine was used to great effect in 1995’s Natural Born Killers, the first film soundtrack produced by Reznor.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Six weeks later, most of the American passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius are now in small, spartan rooms with a bed and an exercise bike at the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska, facing potential weeks of isolation.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
The overall aesthetic was slightly ascetic without being spartan—a pale, neutral color palette; simple, modern furniture; a few pieces of abstract art.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Ye-jin is drawn in by the caring nature beneath Matthew’s gruff surface.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
-
But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The actor, 39, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of simple battery in a Louisiana criminal court Wednesday, June 3, according to records obtained by USA TODAY.—
Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
At the time, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed its officers charged LaBeouf with two counts of simple battery for allegedly assaulting two men near a bar in the French Quarter.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The riskiest habit is preheating an empty nonstick pan on high heat.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
The dog paces to and fro, hackles bristling, snapping at the empty air, its head turning one way, then the other, as if aware of invisible foes in the valley around them.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
