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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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stark
The response was a stark contrast to the years before, when life had been vivid and full of possibility.
—
Jordan Greene, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The stark scene is an annual reminder of the deadly toll some pay for ingesting fentanyl, methamphetamine, alcohol and other drugs.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Short-sellers like Left insist that Palantir’s business isn’t as scalable or as subscription-based as Wall Street prefers, in stark contrast to OpenAI.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
The truth is stark: Britain has crossed the line from regulating protest to policing thought.
—Lois McLatchie Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stark
Jordan Greene, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The stark scene is an annual reminder of the deadly toll some pay for ingesting fentanyl, methamphetamine, alcohol and other drugs.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
Short-sellers like Left insist that Palantir’s business isn’t as scalable or as subscription-based as Wall Street prefers, in stark contrast to OpenAI.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 22 Aug. 2025
The truth is stark: Britain has crossed the line from regulating protest to policing thought.
—Lois McLatchie Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
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So, while the start of this season has been grim for Vitor Pereira and his team, all is not lost.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
24 Aug. 2025
-
The rhetoric of 2025 is confrontational, transactional, divisive and grim.—
Leah M. Wright,
CNN Money,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Founder Samantha Brett emphasizes layering SPF over makeup, with formulas like their Beauty Screen Mineral Tints providing SPF50 protection in a sheer, wearable finish.—
Laia Farran Graves,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The look was finished with a silk tulle veil, crystal beaded Manolo Blahnik satin sandals and a pair of sheer elbow gloves.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.—
Michael Abbott,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The film opens in the desolate Arctic, where Victor has chased his creation, and flashes back as Frankenstein relates his life’s story to a Danish sea captain whose ship is stuck in the ice.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
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Springsteen wouldn’t even allow his photo to appear on the album cover, instead choosing a black-and-white image from the POV of the inside of a car traveling down a desolate highway on a cloudy day.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The central quartet of friends have a supportive connection underneath all their hormones and egos — Elba proves a standout as the gruff but warm defacto leader — that makes their bloody and sexed-up misadventures oddly wholesome.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Aug. 2025
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Dougal MacKenzie loves a good prank — and so do the actors who play the gruff Highland Scot.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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For Zander, who has spent three decades championing play as a form of healing, the solution lies in something deceptively simple: rediscovering the human joy of play.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
There are women who shout and shout at the empty air.—
Rachel Cusk,
New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2025
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This can also be an issue for heirs who may have to empty pre-tax accounts and boost their adjusted gross income during their peak earning years, experts say.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Those fleeting, vibrant days are the perfect time for hiking through a mix of wooded mountainside, barren volcanic landscapes, and marshland, with stops at some of Japan’s most rustic hot springs.—
Rob Goss,
AFAR Media,
26 Aug. 2025
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Whether nestled in lush forests or barren deserts, these towns bear the scars of time, showcasing human ingenuity while reminding us of the inevitability of decay.—
Kieron Marchese,
Architectural Digest,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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