stark — severe or bare in appearance; complete and extreme
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: severe or bare in appearance; complete and extreme
Pronunciation (IPA): /stɑːrk/
Example Sentences
- The stark white walls made the room feel like a hospital
- His apartment was stark - just a mattress on the floor and empty walls
- The teacher gave us a stark choice: study hard or fail the exam
stark
ADJECTIVE[/stɑːrk/]
severe or bare in appearance; complete and extreme
The stark contrast between the lush garden and the barren desert stopped travelers in their tracks.
In the stark dark, I leave my mark
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old English 'stearc' meaning stiff or rigid, related to Old Norse 'sterkr' meaning strong. The word evolved to mean severe or bare in appearance, with the sense of 'complete and extreme' developing later.
Breakdown
stark (Old English stearc, stiff/rigid) - a single morpheme with no prefix or suffix; the word itself is the root form meaning severe, bare, or complete
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The stark white walls made the room feel like a hospital”
“His apartment was stark - just a mattress on the floor and empty walls”
“The teacher gave us a stark choice: study hard or fail the exam”
“My bank account shows a stark reality - I'm broke as a joke!”
📚Related Words
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