stark Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
    crude; blunt.
    • the blunt truth
    • the crude facts
    • facing the stark reality of the deadline
  2. adjective satellite severely simple
    severe; austere; stern.
    • a stark interior
  3. adjective satellite complete or extreme
    • stark poverty
    • a stark contrast
  4. adjective satellite without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers
    perfect; double-dyed; complete; gross; arrant; unadulterated; sodding; consummate; pure; utter; thoroughgoing; everlasting; staring.
    • 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
  5. adjective satellite providing no shelter or sustenance
    barren; desolate; bare; bleak.
    • bare rocky hills
    • barren lands
    • the bleak treeless regions of the high Andes
    • the desolate surface of the moon
    • a stark landscape
  6. adverb completely
    • stark mad
    • mouth stark open

WordNet

Stark adjective
Etymology
OE. stark stiff, strong, AS. stearc; akin to OS. starc strong, D. sterk, OHG. starc, starah, G. & Sw. stark, Dan. stærk, Icel. sterkr, Goth. gastaúrknan to become dried up, Lith. strëgti to stiffen, to freeze. Cf. Starch, a. & n.
Wordforms
comparative Starker ; superlative Starkest
Definitions
  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.
Stark adverb
Definitions
  1. Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite; as, stark mind. Shak.
    Held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead. Fuller.
    Strip your sword stark naked. Shak.
    ✍ 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.
Stark transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To stiffen. R.
    If horror have not starked your limbs. H. Taylor.

Webster 1913