stark

¹

[ stahrk ]

adjective

, stark·er, stark·est.

1. sheer, utter, downright, or complete:

   This plan is stark madness!

2. harsh, grim, or desolate, as a view, place, etc.:

   Her photos capture the stark desert landscape.

3. extremely simple or severe:

   With its stark interior and rough ride, the car scores low in our luxury car ranking.

4. bluntly or sternly plain; not softened or glamorized:

   He panicked suddenly at the stark reality of the approaching deadline.

5. distinct, sharp, or vivid:

   The thriving community gardens stood in stark contrast to vacant land and abandoned buildings.

6. stiff or rigid in substance, muscles, etc.
7. rigid in death.
8. Archaic. strong; powerful; massive or robust.

adverb

1. utterly, absolutely, or quite:

   stark mad.

2. Chiefly Scot. and North England. in a stark manner; stoutly or vigorously.

Stark

²

[ stahrk; German shtahrk ]

noun

1. Harold Rayns·ford [reynz, -ferd], 1880–1972, U.S. admiral.
2. Jo·han·nes [yoh-, hah, -n, uh, s], 1874–1957, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1919.
3. John, 1728–1822, American Revolutionary War general.

Stark

¹

noun

1. stɑːk StarkFreya (Madeline), Dame18931993FBritishTRAVEL AND EXPLORATION: travellerWRITING: writer Dame Freya ( Madeline ) (ˈfreɪə). 1893–1993, British traveller and writer, whose many books include The Southern Gates of Arabia (1936), Beyond Euphrates (1951), and The Journey's Echo (1963)
2. ʃtark StarkJohannes18741957MGermanSCIENCE: physicist Johannes (joˈhanəs). 1874–1957, German physicist, who discovered the splitting of the lines of a spectrum when the source of light is subjected to a strong electrostatic field ( Stark effect , 1913): Nobel prize for physics 1919

stark

²

/ stɑːk /

adjective

1. usually prenominal devoid of any elaboration; blunt

   the stark facts

2. grim; desolate

   a stark landscape

3. usually prenominal utter; absolute

   stark folly

4. archaic.
   severe; violent
5. archaic.
   rigid, as in death (esp in the phrases stiff and stark, stark dead )
6. short for stark-naked

adverb

1. completely

   stark mad

Derived Forms

• ˈstarkness, noun
• ˈstarkly, adverb

Other Words From

• stark·ly adverb
• stark·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stark¹

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English; Old English stearc “stiff, firm”; cognate with German stark “strong”; akin to Old Norse sterkr “strong”; akin to starch, stare; (adverb) Middle English sterke, derivative of the adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stark¹

Old English stearc stiff; related to Old Norse sterkr , Gothic gastaurknan to stiffen

Synonym Study

See austere, bare ¹.

Example Sentences

A stark, yawning gap separated private behavior and deep-rooted public morality.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a stark reminder of how seductive hollow patriotism and manufactured pride can be, especially in times of economic uncertainty.

From Salon

But Sunday’s Russian missile and drone attacks, which killed as many as 20 people, served as a stark reminder that Moscow is still intent on winning the war, on its terms.

From BBC

And it offered a stark split-screen on Sunday to a historic visit President Joe Biden, who became the first sitting US president to go to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest.

From BBC

The stage has the stark beauty of a sculpted scene by Alberto Giacometti.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• austere
• bleak
• depressing
• desolate
• grim
• harsh