starkly

American  

[stahrk-lee] / ˈstɑrk li /

adverb

1. in a harsh, grim, or desolate way.

   Working in the slums confronted us starkly with the sufferings of others.

2. extremely simply, sparely, or austerely.

   Even in wealthier households, bedrooms were starkly furnished, with just a bed and perhaps a chair and a small table.

3. in a blunt or sternly plain way, without softening.

   To put it more starkly, your great-grandmother was a common criminal.

4. in a way that is highly contrastive; distinctly or sharply.

   The case presents two starkly different views of mobile device targeting by advertisers.

5. completely or utterly; downright.

   We both know that it's starkly impossible to hide an operation as big as that from a spy system as good as theirs.

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Etymology

Origin of starkly

First recorded before 900; stark ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

A palette of soft pinks, purples and blues lend warmth and dimension to Rana’s starkly beautiful home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Acknowledging that his approach to the issue was starkly different from Trump's, Petro said "there are undoubtedly different ways of viewing the problem".

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, starkly told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this past week.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

In a report this week, U.N. scientists warn that the world has entered a new era of “global water bankruptcy” — a term that starkly underlines the urgency of efforts needed to protect what remains.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

Posey was a starkly thin man with vulnerable eyes and a leg brace.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy