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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
the school's stark prohibition against obscene slogans on clothing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stark
Bukele has made the Central American country’s stark, harsh prisons a trademark of his fight against crime.
—
Marcos Alemán and Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Robby Walker, who serves as a senior director at Apple, delivered the stark comments during an all-hands meeting for the Siri division, saying that the team was facing a bad period.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2025
His paintings capture the rhythms of daily life—women draped in flowing tobes set against stark, open backdrops of the sky or desert in some, bustling market stalls in others.
—Omnia Saed, ARTnews.com, 17 Mar. 2025
The Miami Heat’s search for identity since the Jimmy Butler trade has never been more stark than over the past two weeks, when Erik Spoelstra has utilized 11 different players as starters.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stark
Marcos Alemán and Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Robby Walker, who serves as a senior director at Apple, delivered the stark comments during an all-hands meeting for the Siri division, saying that the team was facing a bad period.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2025
His paintings capture the rhythms of daily life—women draped in flowing tobes set against stark, open backdrops of the sky or desert in some, bustling market stalls in others.
—Omnia Saed, ARTnews.com, 17 Mar. 2025
The Miami Heat’s search for identity since the Jimmy Butler trade has never been more stark than over the past two weeks, when Erik Spoelstra has utilized 11 different players as starters.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
-
The result is that every year, the Palestinian reality gets grimmer.—
Noa Tishby,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2025
-
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes emphasized that the Egyptian proposal for Gaza’s reconstruction does not reflect the grim realities on the ground.—
Efrat Lachter,
Fox News,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The individual cores may not be as powerful as those on the Mac Studio with M4 Max, but the sheer number of CPU and GPU cores will deliver top performance in the most demanding applications.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
11 Mar. 2025
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While the sheer number of krill in the Southern Ocean means the species is unlikely to face an acute threat to its survival in the near term, Savoca is quick to point out that numbers are no guarantee of success.—
Gabe Castro-Root,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.—
Michael Abbott,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
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
-
That quality is maintained first and foremost by a desolate whistling-wind sound effect in the background of all the scenes, along with a sustained droning musical score.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2025
-
But a tire mark left on a desolate road near a missing woman’s car changes everything.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In The Empire’s frame, residents of a coastal village in northern France — gruff, virile fisherman Jony (Brandon Vlieghe) and teenage tease Line (Lyna Khoudri) — reveal their oddball allegiance to extraterrestrial invaders.—
Armond White,
National Review,
14 Mar. 2025
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There’s a gruff and garrulous baseball pitching and hitting machine called Pop Fly (Brian Cox).—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
All of this is a vaguely long-winded way of making a simple point — the outlook for Wolves’ defence has changed dramatically over the course of this season.—
Steve Madeley,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
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The truth about why these increases are happening is simple: these insurance companies didn’t do the math right!—
Patti Brennan,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Built in 1917 as a grand hostelry that drew a who’s-who list of visitors in its heyday, it was scheduled for renovation after sitting empty for 15 years.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
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Hide your money anywhere but your shoe; buy a solo car; don’t wander any empty train platforms.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This is where the montage sequences get really aggressive, assaulting the viewer with imagery of barren alien landscapes and skulls with the flesh melting off of their faces.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
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Even along the relatively mild coasts, where summer temperatures hover just below freezing, the land is a barren expanse of rock, ice and snow.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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