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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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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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
Democratic leaders have stressed their commitment to a peaceful transfer of power, working to paint a stark contrast to four years earlier when rioters stormed the Capitol, and some Republican lawmakers challenged the outcome of the 2020 election.
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Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2025
Political chaos is one of Trump’s starkest legacies, and now the chickens are coming home to roost, in ways that go beyond his certification.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
But most military analysts say the stark reality is that Russia's army is simply much larger, fielding with more men, more artillery, more shells.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 2 Jan. 2025
Consider the stark cultural differences between a Black person living in Louisiana versus California or between residents of Hamilton Heights and the Bronx in New York City.
—Mike Villalobos, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stark 
Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2025
Political chaos is one of Trump’s starkest legacies, and now the chickens are coming home to roost, in ways that go beyond his certification.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
But most military analysts say the stark reality is that Russia's army is simply much larger, fielding with more men, more artillery, more shells.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 2 Jan. 2025
Consider the stark cultural differences between a Black person living in Louisiana versus California or between residents of Hamilton Heights and the Bronx in New York City.
—Mike Villalobos, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
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The Canucks are one winning streak with a healthy lineup away from healing all wounds, but for now, things feel grim.Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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And there was more grim news, this time from Shana’s client: Her home had burned down.Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The sheer scale of the Los Angeles fires and the prominence of the location have delivered an unprecedented amount of eyeballs to the young platform.Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
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But the sheer scale of what melodic techno DJ, producer, visual artist and visionary Anyma has created at Sphere Las Vegas is something to be experienced first hand.Danny Klein, SPIN, 10 Jan. 2025
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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Breed: Pit bull mix Age: 1 year Buddy’s story: Buddy was found on the side of a desolate highway in the mountains.Maryanne Dell, Orange County Register, 28 Dec. 2024
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Advertisement After Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, paving the way for the imprisonment of 120,000 people of Japanese descent — two-thirds of whom were American citizens — in desolate detention camps.Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The first episode shows Dr. Robby leading a group of young medical students and residents on a tour of their new workplace, their faces just as much a mixture of terror and wonder as Carter’s was when his gruff mentor Peter Benton led him around County General on his first day.Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 3 Jan. 2025
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The beloved coach who has a sweetly gruff persona also joked about how he’s fared as a patient.Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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My top answer is a simple and no-brainer recommendation: Wash your hands with soap and water.Amanda Schupak, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2025
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Adidas Originals Stan Smith Sneakers These iconic Stan Smith sneakers offer form and function thanks to their simple design, soft leather material (no blisters here!), and roomy fit.Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The press room was almost empty, a member of the small pool of journalists asleep in a chair in the briefing room.Susan Page, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
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In what can only be described as a Christmas miracle, the ER was empty.Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The students tried to reduce this food loss as well as to solve the urchin barren problem in one shot and the results seemed successful.Akiko Katayama, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
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Schermerhorn spent more than a year between 2016 and 2017 working as a technical adviser to the Carter Center in southern Chad, often traveling by motorcycle to remote areas where people live in mud huts spread across a barren landscape.Charles Schmidt, Scientific American, 29 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near stark
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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