1
a
: rigid in or as if in death
b
: rigidly conforming (as to a pattern or doctrine) : absolute
stark discipline
4
5
: sharply delineated
a stark contrast
starkly
adverb
starkness
noun
1
: in a stark manner
2
: to an absolute or complete degree : wholly
stark naked
stark mad
Synonyms
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
Gerson Freitas Jr./bloomberg, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
That comes in stark contrast to multiple reports that the EV maker would delay its plans for a budget-friendly car in favor of its self-driving ambitions.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024
The death rates on the job by race are in stark contrast with the racial breakdown of the American workforce.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
At a time when the conventional wisdom is increasingly that the generative AI boom is only further consolidating the power and market dominance of America’s largest technology companies, the go-it-alone effort by the Canadian upstart represents a stark counterpoint.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
Along with touting the president’s agenda and legislative wins, Frost told USA TODAY that the key to turning out young voters is drawing a stark contrast between Biden and Trump to voters who are inclined to stay home.
—Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
That's in stark contrast to the kind of mass die-offs seen in birds and some other species.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
The difference is more stark among the top 1%, or those in California earning more than $862,100.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 24 Apr. 2024
The Friday night headliner, Lana Del Rey, was in stark contrast to Doja Cat, though not always for the better.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2024
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
Adjective
The initial study results offer a stark indication of how quickly a virus that has killed millions of birds globally is spreading among U.S. dairy cows, raising health and food security woes while spooking markets.
—Gerson Freitas Jr./bloomberg, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
That comes in stark contrast to multiple reports that the EV maker would delay its plans for a budget-friendly car in favor of its self-driving ambitions.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024
The death rates on the job by race are in stark contrast with the racial breakdown of the American workforce.
—Char Adams, NBC News, 25 Apr. 2024
At a time when the conventional wisdom is increasingly that the generative AI boom is only further consolidating the power and market dominance of America’s largest technology companies, the go-it-alone effort by the Canadian upstart represents a stark counterpoint.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
Along with touting the president’s agenda and legislative wins, Frost told USA TODAY that the key to turning out young voters is drawing a stark contrast between Biden and Trump to voters who are inclined to stay home.
—Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
That's in stark contrast to the kind of mass die-offs seen in birds and some other species.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024
The difference is more stark among the top 1%, or those in California earning more than $862,100.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 24 Apr. 2024
The Friday night headliner, Lana Del Rey, was in stark contrast to Doja Cat, though not always for the better.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2024
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stark
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stark. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stark
1 of 2 adjective1
2
a
: stiff sense 1, motionless
stark in death
b
: inflexible sense 3, strict
stark discipline
3
: sheer entry 1 sense 2a, utter
stark nonsense
4
a
: barren entry 1 sense 2a, desolate
a stark landscape
b
: having few or no ornaments : bare
starkly
adverb
stark
2 of 2 adverb
: wholly, absolutely
stark mad
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