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
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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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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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of stark
The data paints a stark picture of ShotSpotter's effectiveness.
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Lars Daniel, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
As the helicopter dipped to the right, the erupting volcano came into full view with magma rising and sparking red and orange, a stark contrast to the black earth.
—Jaclyn Greenberg, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2024
Yet, Alabama’s experience under Wallace presents a stark warning to Trump’s working class supporters: while populist rhetoric may appear to offer a voice to voters who feel disenfranchised and marginalized, the policies that follow from it often fail to serve their needs.
—Brucie Porter / Made By History, TIME, 5 Dec. 2024
This would all come as a surprise to his childhood friend and fellow superstar Michael Jackson, whom Osmond remembers giving him some stark advice when his career hit the pits in the 1980s.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 23 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stark 
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
As the helicopter dipped to the right, the erupting volcano came into full view with magma rising and sparking red and orange, a stark contrast to the black earth.
—Jaclyn Greenberg, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2024
Yet, Alabama’s experience under Wallace presents a stark warning to Trump’s working class supporters: while populist rhetoric may appear to offer a voice to voters who feel disenfranchised and marginalized, the policies that follow from it often fail to serve their needs.
—Brucie Porter / Made By History, TIME, 5 Dec. 2024
This would all come as a surprise to his childhood friend and fellow superstar Michael Jackson, whom Osmond remembers giving him some stark advice when his career hit the pits in the 1980s.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 23 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
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Oracle’s grim forecast Jaque Silva | Nurphoto | Getty Images Oracle shares fell 7% in extended trading on Monday after the database software company reported fiscal second-quarter results that fell short of analysts’ estimates.Kristian Burt, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024
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When tragedy ultimately strikes, paralysis is the commonality between each character, and the outlook for intermarried social warfare is decidedly grim.Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Working in this season's favor was the sheer unpredictability from week to week in terms of who was aligned with whom and what would happen at Tribal Council.Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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There, along with accepting the Maverick Award, the actress wore a sheer gown with long sleeves and a high neck for the occasion.Charna Flam, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
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The medication has hallucinogenic effects that alter the perception of sight and sound and cause users to feel devoid from pain and out of control of their surroundings.Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2023
Adjective
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Before sheriff’s deputies found his body on Thanksgiving morning last year, shot to death in a desolate stretch of warehouses and pallet yards west of Compton, Eduardo Escobedo Sr. had become rich beyond his dreams.Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
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They will be relished between rounds inside the most desolate dive bars on the most depressing days.Brooks Kubena, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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And two of the other main actors had actually died, one during the shooting, Oliver Reed [who played the gruff gladiator trainer].Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024
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Hearing those words, spoken in a gruff North of England accent, most Irish people over 40 will immediately start to hum a super-catchy guitar riff inspired by Celtic rockers Horslips.Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The equation is simple: The more authoritarianism in the world, the more dissidents.Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
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Maybe the key to a truly satisfying vacation in 2025 is simple: more of it.Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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Elsewhere, many parts of the capital were empty and shops were closed.ABDULRAHMAN SHAHEEN and ABBY SEWELL, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Dec. 2024
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But Mara may not need any coaxing to make sweeping change if the stadium is empty on Sunday and the Giants get blown out by Bergen Catholic-product Darren Rizzi, Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara.Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But a relentless pursuit of justice has brought Allyson Phillips to the front row of a Georgia courtroom’s cold, barren benches each day of suspect Jose Ibarra’s murder trial.Holly Yan, CNN, 19 Nov. 2024
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Striking images from the Sahara Desert show large lakes etched into rolling sand dunes after one of the most arid, barren places in the world was hit with its first floods in decades.Laura Paddison, CNN, 14 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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