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
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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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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
The color differences can be stark or subtle, but the cause is usually the same—your mower blade needs attention.
—
Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 14 June 2026
The weather will still be mild, but the uptick in visitors during high season is stark and the city may be much more enjoyable in the shoulder seasons.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026
This makes the privileges of being a British royal seem more stark.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
But beneath that veneer of legality lies a starker reality.
—Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stark
Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 14 June 2026
The weather will still be mild, but the uptick in visitors during high season is stark and the city may be much more enjoyable in the shoulder seasons.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026
This makes the privileges of being a British royal seem more stark.
—Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
But beneath that veneer of legality lies a starker reality.
—Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
-
Travellers could be forgiven for growing grim about the mouth.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
-
More to Explore In hundreds of grim mines, Sicilian children were exploited in slave-like conditions.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, Lisa attended the 2026 Golden Globe Awards in a sheer Jacquemus look, and in January, Kith named her guest designer for its spring 2026 collection.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
13 June 2026
-
Elizabeth Hurley looked incredible in a black string bikini and sheer pants on Instagram.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Her outfit was devoid of any other color.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
This is a story devoid of childlike wonder, just the horrific evil men are capable of and the small acts of grace found in unspeakable circumstances.—
Chris Nashawaty,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The flyer featured a photograph of the 31-year-old singer-songwriter on a desolate small-town street, behind the wheel of a vintage turquoise vehicle.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
15 June 2026
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Since the Bankhead and Livermore Cinema opened, a number of popular restaurants – including Zachary’s Pizza, Sauced BBQ and Spirits and Locanda Wine Bar have transformed a once-desolate block into a buzzing culinary destination.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Was Kenzaburo Oe, for example, subjected to the same spartan toilet seat?—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
-
My take → For a $16 billion company, PR has a shockingly spartan website.—
Brian Sullivan,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
But Rose bet that a less gruff voice, ultimately Mike Brown’s, was required to win it all.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
14 June 2026
-
Platner, a gruff 41-year-old Marine Corps veteran, is trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins with a platform of economic populism, universal health care, labor protections, and anti-interventionism.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Armando Chavez, owner of local business NorCal Siders, was brought in for a simple roof patch-up but left with a big idea.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
The cause can be something as simple as a lack of water or more complex, like fungal wilt diseases, tomato wilt viruses, walnut toxicity, or boring insects.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
If a circle is empty, for example, players must learn to move their hands in the opposite direction to complete that task.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
No smoke wafting through the parking lots, which included multiple empty sections.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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