STARK DEFINITIONS - 14 definitions found
Websters 1828 Dictionary 
Stark STARK, a. [G., stark, stiff, strong; formed on the root of the G.,
stiff, rigid. See Starch and Steer.] 1. Stiff; strong; rugged.
Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff, under the hoofs of vaunting
enemies. The north is not so stark and cold. 2. Deep; full;
profound; absolute. He pronounces the citation stark nonsense.
STARK, adv. Wholly; entirely; absolutely; as stark mad; stark
blind; stark naked. These are the principal applications of this word
now in use. The word is in popular use, but not an elegant word in any
of its applications.
WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) 
stark
adj 1: devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment;
"the blunt truth"; "the crude facts"; "facing the stark
reality of the deadline" [syn: blunt, crude(a),
stark(a)]
2: severely simple; "a stark interior" [syn: austere,
severe, stark, stern]
3: complete or extreme; "stark poverty"; "a stark contrast"
4: without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative)
intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete coward"; "a
consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross
negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a sodding
mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing villain"; "utter
nonsense"; "the unadulterated truth" [syn: arrant(a),
complete(a), consummate(a), double-dyed(a),
everlasting(a), gross(a), perfect(a), pure(a),
sodding(a), stark(a), staring(a), thoroughgoing(a),
utter(a), unadulterated]
5: providing no shelter or sustenance; "bare rocky hills";
"barren lands"; "the bleak treeless regions of the high
Andes"; "the desolate surface of the moon"; "a stark
landscape" [syn: bare, barren, bleak, desolate,
stark]
adv 1: completely; "stark mad"; "mouth stark open"
Anagrams 
stark
karst skart
English Etymology Dictionary 
stark
O.E. stearc "stiff, strong" (related to starian "to stare"), from
P.Gmc. *starkaz. Meaning "utter, sheer, complete" first recorded 14c.,
that of "bare, barren" is from 1833. Stark naked (1530) is from M.E. start
naked (13c.), from O.E. steort "tail, rump." Hence Brit. slang starkers
"naked" (1923).
Oxford English Reference Dictionary 
stark adj. & adv. --adj. 1 desolate, bare (a stark landscape). 2 sharply evident (in stark contrast). 3 downright, sheer (stark madness). 4 completely naked. 5 archaic strong,
stiff, rigid. --adv. completely, wholly (stark mad; stark naked). Derivatives: starkly adv. starkness n. Etymology: OE stearc f. Gmc: stark naked f. earlier start-naked f.
obs. start tail: cf. REDSTART
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary 
stark
(starker, starkest)
1. Stark choices or statements are harsh and unpleasant.
UK companies face a stark choice if they want to stay competitive...
In his celebration speech, he issued a stark warning to Washington and other Western
capitals.
= harsh
ADJ
• starkly
The point is a starkly simple one.
ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj
2. 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.
ADJ
• starkly
The outlook now is starkly different.
ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj
3. Something that is stark is very plain in appearance.
...the stark white, characterless fireplace in the drawing room.
ADJ
• starkly
The desert was luminous, starkly beautiful...
ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v
English Explanatory Dictionary 
stark
stɑ:k adj. & adv. --adj. 1 desolate, bare (a stark landscape). 2
sharply evident (in stark contrast). 3 downright, sheer (stark madness). 4
completely naked. 5 archaic strong, stiff, rigid. --adv. completely, wholly
(stark mad; stark naked). øøstarkly adv. starkness n. [OE stearc f. Gmc:
stark naked f. earlier start-naked f. obs. start tail: cf. REDSTART]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 
Stark \Stark\, adv.
Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite; as, stark mind. --Shak.
Held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead.
--Fuller.
Stark naked, wholly naked; quite bare.
Strip your sword stark naked. --Shak.
Note: According to Professor Skeat, ``stark-naked'' is
derived from steort-naked, or start-naked, literally
tail-naked, and hence wholly naked. If this etymology
be true the preferable form is stark-naked.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 
Stark \Stark\, a. [Compar. Starker; superl. Starkest.] [OE.
stark stiff, strong, AS. stearc; akin to OS. starc strong, D.
sterk, OHG. starc, starah, G. & Sw. stark, Dan. st[ae]rk,
Icel. sterkr, Goth. gasta['u]rknan to become dried up, Lith.
str["e]gti to stiffen, to freeze. Cf. Starch, a. & n.]
1. Stiff; rigid. --Chaucer.
Whose senses all were straight benumbed and stark.
--Spenser.
His heart gan wax as stark as marble stone.
--Spenser.
Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff Under the hoofs
of vaunting enemies. --Shak.
The north is not so stark and cold. --B. Jonson.
2. Complete; absolute; full; perfect; entire. [Obs.]
Consider the stark security The common wealth is in
now. --B. Jonson.
3. Strong; vigorous; powerful.
A stark, moss-trooping Scot. --Sir W.
Scott.
Stark beer, boy, stout and strong beer. --Beau. &
Fl.
4. Severe; violent; fierce. [Obs.] ``In starke stours.'' [i.
e., in fierce combats]. --Chaucer.
5. Mere; sheer; gross; entire; downright.
He pronounces the citation stark nonsense.
--Collier.
Rhetoric is very good or stark naught; there's no
medium in rhetoric. --Selden.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 
Stark \Stark\, v. t.
To stiffen. [R.]
If horror have not starked your limbs. --H. Taylor.
U.S. Gazetteer (1990) 
Stark, KS (city, FIPS 68025)
Location: 37.68955 N, 95.14332 W
Population (1990): 79 (42 housing units)
Area: 0.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 66775
Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms 
stark
I. a.
1. Stiff, rigid.
2. Mere, simple, sheer, bare, downright, gross, unmistakable, pure, entire, absolute.
II. ad.
Wholly, entirely, completely, fully, absolutely.
English Explanatory Dictionary (Synonyms) 
stark
stɑ:k adv.
1 completely, utterly, unqualifiedly, wholly, absolutely, entirely, totally, fully,
altogether, plainly, obviously, clearly, certifiably: Is that an elephant on the beach, or am
I going stark staring mad? The children were running around stark naked. --adj.
2 plain, simple, Spartan, severe, unembellished, unadorned, cold, bare, harsh, hard, grim,
bald, blunt: The room looks less stark with curtains. Just give me the stark facts without all
the elaboration.
3 harsh, severe, bleak, austere, barren, desolate, dreary, grey, depressing, ravaged,
empty, vacant, Literary drear, Colloq US spooky: As day dawned, I looked out over the stark
landscape of the nuclear winter.
4 sheer, complete, utter, absolute, perfect, pure, thorough, thoroughgoing, arrant,
unmitigated, out-and-out, downright, outright, total, unconditional, unqualified, clear, plain,
evident, obvious, patent, flagrant, gross, rank: They were shocked by the stark poverty they
saw in the rural areas.
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 
159 Moby Thesaurus words for "stark":
Spartan, absolute, absolutely, altogether, arrant, ascetic,
austere, bald, bare, barren, basic, blasted, bleak, blessed, blunt,
candid, chaste, classical, clean, clear, clearly, cold, common,
commonplace, complete, completely, confounded, consummate, crass,
decided, definitive, depressing, desolate, direct, downright,
drear, dreary, dry, dull, egregious, elementary, empty, entirely,
essential, evident, flagrant, frank, fully, fundamental, glaring,
grey, grim, gross, hard, harsh, homely, homespun, homogeneous,
indivisible, infernal, inornate, intolerable, irreducible,
irretrievably, irrevocably, lean, matter-of-fact, mere, monolithic,
naked, natural, neat, nude, obvious, obviously, of a piece, open,
out-and-out, outright, patent, perfect, perfectly, plain,
plain-speaking, plain-spoken, plainly, plumb, positive, primary,
profound, pronounced, proper, prosaic, prosing, prosy, pure,
pure and simple, quite, rank, ravaged, raw, regular, right, rustic,
severe, shattering, sheer, shocking, simon-pure, simple,
simple-speaking, single, sober, spare, spooky, stark-naked,
stark-staring, straightforward, stripped, superlative, surpassing,
the veriest, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, totally, unadorned,
unaffected, unbearable, unclad, unclothed, uncluttered,
unconditional, unconscionable, undeniable, undifferenced,
undifferentiated, unelaborate, unembellished, unenhanced,
unequivocal, unfancy, unfussy, uniform, unimaginative, unmitigated,
unornate, unpoetical, unqualified, unrelieved, unrelievedly,
unspoiled, unvarnished, utter, utterly, vacant, vacuous, void,
wholly
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