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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
the school's stark prohibition against obscene slogans on clothing
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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
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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
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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
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Recent Examples of stark
Also, no expat in the country flagged cost of living as a major concern before moving, a stark contrast to the global average of 21%, according to InterNations.
—
Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
That rather stark reality is not lost on Delhi.
—Happymon Jacob, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
The stark comparison between both games drew a laugh from the room full of media.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Childcare Now Costs More Than Housing BabyCenter's recent research paints a stark picture of the economic math families face.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stark
Ernestine Siu, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
That rather stark reality is not lost on Delhi.
—Happymon Jacob, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
The stark comparison between both games drew a laugh from the room full of media.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Childcare Now Costs More Than Housing BabyCenter's recent research paints a stark picture of the economic math families face.
—Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
-
While Ne Zha’s home of Chentang Pass is being obliterated, we’re shown a grim, apocalyptic tableau of mass death that features a family with a young child frozen in ash.—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The grim irony of Sudan’s predicament is that Africa’s third-largest country boasts significant mineral reserves, including huge quantities of gold, as well as vast swathes of arable land.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Cane Corsos, an ancient Italian mastiff breed, are renowned for their sheer size and protective instincts.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Film studios have long struggled to make adaptations of video games that please critics and audiences, and some critics have suggested video games are tough to adapt because the sheer volume of gaming content has to be condensed to fit the length of a movie.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.—
Michael Abbott,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
That devoid ingredient hindered things exponentially.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
Silksong is steeped in religious imagery — desolate chapels, ringing church bells, even rosary beads that act as in-game currency.—
Keller Gordon,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Her haunting soprano ranged from desolate whispers to expansive belts.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Idaho State Police have released hundreds of additional images taken during their investigation into college murderer Bryan Kohberger, giving the first public glimpse of his spartan apartment in Pullman, just across the state line at Washington State University.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Gastón Solnicki’s latest work features a magnetic central performance from Willem Dafoe, it is artfully composed with painterly images, shots of Vienna at sunset are exquisite, and its spartan dialogue possesses a dry wit.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Busta also received an assist from Papoose and Joyner Lucas, all of them sharing lyrical wordplay and seamless tradeoffs as Busta swung between his trademark dichotomy of rapping to gruff bellowing.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The Old Man was short and gruff and had chin whiskers.—
Robert Easton,
Outdoor Life,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With just a few chairs, a handful of tables and a simple tent, the setting was intimate but filled with love and intention.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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And one of these, for those of us accustomed to British conventions but who follow the game in continental Europe, is the simple passage of time.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Erik Thommy could not get to the rebound in time to take advantage of an empty net, and his shot was blocked by a defender out for a corner kick.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
-
What To Know On the night of August 22, Zarutska boarded a Lynx Blue Line train and sat in an empty two-person seat.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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