| gen. |
rigidly conforming (as to a pattern or doctrine; syn.: absolute): stark discipline  merriam-webster.com); utter, sheer (stark nonsense merriam-webster.com); barren, desolate (merriam-webster.com); having few or no ornaments (a stark white room merriam-webster.com); harsh, blunt (the stark realities of death merriam-webster.com); sharply delineated (a stark contrast merriam-webster.com); providing no shelter or sustenance (In describing a place, stark means "providing no shelter or sustenance." A barren desert or a room with no furniture or curtains is stark: a stark landscape vocabulary.com); severe, stern, or austere (like the stark beauty of the rocky cliffs in the west of Ireland: a stark interior vocabulary.com); severely simple (a stark interior vocabulary.com); devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment (facing the stark reality of the deadline vocabulary.com); complete or extreme (stark poverty • a stark contrast
vocabulary.com); stark choices or statements are harsh and unpleasant (U.K. companies face a stark choice if they want to stay competitive. • The conviction should send out a stark warning to other motorists. collinsdictionary.com); if two things are in stark contrast to one another, they are very different from each other in a way that is very obvious (...secret cooperation between London and Washington that was in stark contrast to official policy. collinsdictionary.com); something that is stark is very plain in appearance (...the stark white, characterless fireplace in the drawing room. collinsdictionary.com); used for describing a building or scene that is very clear and plain to look at, often in a slightly unpleasant or frightening way (She disliked the stark brick walls and the steel window frames. • The hill formed a stark silhouette against the sky. macmillandictionary.com); used for describing an unpleasant fact or situation that is very obvious or impossible to avoid (e.g., stark choice: The stark choice is between moving out or staying here and paying more. • stark reality: Too many community leaders seem unable to grasp this stark reality. macmillandictionary.com); extreme and obvious (There still remained one stark difference between the two men. • His words were in stark contrast to what he had said earlier. macmillandictionary.com); starkly |
