DictionaryAI

stark

SaySTARK/stɑɹk/UK/stɑːk/

Formsstarker, starkest

10 meanings of stark

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    So clear that you cannot ignore it, and harsh, with nothing to make it gentler.

    The doctor gave him a stark warning about his smoking.

    Her bright red dress was a stark contrast to the gray room.

    Similargrim, bleak, harsh, clear, glaring

    Note
  2. 2
    bare and bleakadjective
    Bare and empty, with nothing pretty or comfortable about it.

    Like an empty room with bare walls and no furniture.

    The stark desert stretched for miles without a single tree.

    Her new apartment felt stark with no pictures on the walls.

    UsageSay a stark room with bare walls.

    Similarbleak, barren, bare, desolate, austere

    Oppositelush, ornate

    Note
  3. 3
    sheeradjective
    Complete and total, with nothing else mixed in.

    Calling the moon a planet is stark nonsense.

    The plan seemed like stark madness to everyone at the table.

    UsageSay in stark contrast to something.

    Similarutter, sheer, complete, absolute, total

    Note
  4. 4
    completelyadverb
    Completely and totally, with nothing left out.

    The toddler ran stark naked through the sprinkler.

    Everyone said he was stark raving mad to quit his job.

    UsageSay stark naked or stark raving mad.

    Similarcompletely, utterly, totally, absolutely, entirely

    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–7

From Old English 'stearc', meaning stiff or strong. It goes back through Germanic to an old root meaning rigid or stiff.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Meaning 8

From Old English 'stearcian', meaning to stiffen or become hard, from the same old Germanic root as the adjective.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts