stark
adjective
sheer, utter, downright, or complete.
stark
1 American
[stahrk]
/ stɑrk /
adjective
-
starker,
comparative
-
starkest
superlative
-
sheer, utter, downright, or complete.
This plan is stark madness!
-
harsh, grim, or desolate, as a view, place, etc..
Her photos capture the stark desert landscape.
-
extremely simple or severe.
With its stark interior and rough ride, the car scores low in our luxury car ranking.
-
bluntly or sternly plain; not softened or glamorized.
He panicked suddenly at the stark reality of the approaching deadline.
-
distinct, sharp, or vivid.
The thriving community gardens stood in stark contrast to vacant land and abandoned buildings.
-
stiff or rigid in substance, muscles, etc.
-
rigid in death.
-
Archaic. strong; powerful; massive or robust.
adverb
-
utterly, absolutely, or quite.
stark mad.
-
Chiefly Scot. and North England. in a stark manner; stoutly or vigorously.
Stark
2
American
[stahrk, shtahr k]
/ stɑrk, ʃtɑrk /
noun
-
Harold Raynsford 1880–1972, U.S. admiral.
-
Johannes 1874–1957, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1919.
-
John, 1728–1822, American Revolutionary War general.
stark
1
British
/ stɑːk /
adjective
-
(usually prenominal) devoid of any elaboration; blunt
the stark facts
-
grim; desolate
a stark landscape
-
(usually prenominal) utter; absolute
stark folly
-
archaic severe; violent
-
archaic rigid, as in death (esp in the phrases stiff and stark, stark dead )
-
short for stark-naked
adverb
Stark
2
British
noun
-
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)
-
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
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of stark
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
Explanation
Stark means "complete or extreme," like the stark contrast between your music taste — punk and weird metal — and your mom's, with all her 1950's doo-wop favorites. In describing a place, stark means "providing no shelter or sustenance." A barren desert or a room with no furniture or curtains is stark. It can also mean "severe, stern, or austere," like the stark beauty of the rocky cliffs in the west of Ireland. Stark can also be used to mean "totally." If you are called stark, raving mad, there's no question about it: you are acting completely crazy.
Vocabulary lists containing stark
Words from "The Avengers"
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The records available for his predecessor, Greg Abbott, show a stark difference: Abbott traveled mostly within the state as attorney general, and his security cost $203,000 during his last three years in the office.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
A trek to the site of the deadliest avalanche in California history reveals a surprisingly tranquil spot, a stark contrast to the frenzied 15 minutes that determined who survived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Even as wealth inequality has become more stark, workers pay Social Security taxes only on income up to $184,500.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
There is one stark difference between the two clubs.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
It’s even more beautiful than Santa Fe’s, but my stomach knots in disgust knowing I have to return to the stark ship.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Duncan beat Maja Stark, while Alison Lee came from four holes down to complete the biggest singles comeback in the history of the Solheim Cup, with a 1UP success over Esther Henseleit.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
"It's so nice when you stand over a putt and you know that... you have it to win the match and then you actually do it. That's the best feeling," said Stark.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Europe's fightback in the opening session was initiated by Swedish duo Maja Stark and Linn Grant who defeated Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho 3&2.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
America’s most-loved fictional titans, Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, have bottomless wealth to fund their vigilante adventures, making them especially mesmerizing to an audience raised on rags-to-riches fables.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Lord Stark had not treated him cruelly, but the long steel shadow of his greatsword had always been between them.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
On climate change, the contradiction is even starker.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
The rise of influencers in movie marketing feels starker than it did even a decade ago as studios and films utilize anyone with a large following to promote their product.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
But while the settlement sidesteps any admission of wrongdoing by the company, it does compel Meta to combat problems few parents knew existed, in terms far starker than those it has articulated before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
They are generally about 10% to 20% more expensive than gas-powered cars, a difference made starker by the end of those tax incentives.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Her room always made him feel wistful and envious for the abundance in which she dwelled—a stark contrast with his even starker room.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Their work is our starkest understanding yet of what happens when AI goes wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
A little cheer rose for 79-year-old Hwang Sun-hee after she managed to place an online order at a training session in South Korea, which has one of the world's starkest digital divides for seniors.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
The starkest contrast between two summertime TV hits about women navigating midlife’s challenges shows up in the way its leading ladies handle themselves in the kitchen.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Look at the map by government demographers; the deep blue areas – where the starkest drops are expected – are highly concentrated in the less urbanised parts of the east.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Perhaps the starkest of these divisions was between South Africa’s two dominant groups, the Zulu and the Xhosa.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
