Definition of starknext
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as in spartan
providing only the essentials and nothing fancy or luxurious monks who have committed themselves to living in stark cells and working and praying in silence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stark The drop is even more stark in the San Joaquin Valley, where Fresno high temps will tumble from the 90s to the low 80s. Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Amid a national cinema that has become internationally recognized for perverse plotting and deadpan absurdism, writer-director Alexis Alexiou‘s third feature stands out for its stark storytelling and earnest emotional intensity. Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026 For a long time, the book’s iconic cover—a stark image evoking Trayvon Martin’s hoodie against a white backdrop—seemed to be on every other literate person’s nightstand. Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 The woman provided sparse but stark allegations in her request for the order. Dave Boucher, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stark
Adjective
  • The increasing chances of being taken, whether one is in a church, mosque, school, on a trip to the capital Abuja or resting at home, is a grim reality that should not be the case given Tinubu’s firm campaign pledges.
    Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The chattiness of Eddy’s dispatches does little to conceal that the novel’s Jamaica is a grim place for gay men.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The facts of his biography, no matter how outrageous, could not possibly explain the sheer derangement of his output.
    Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • This means investor scrutiny will extend beyond the sheer scale of AI investment to encompass debt burdens, capital costs, and return timelines.
    , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • In a show mostly devoid of explicit messages, the sentiment surprised me.
    Max Norman, New Yorker, 25 June 2026
  • Players take on the role of a Ditto capable of mimicking its human trainer, and the Pokémon is thrown into a world devoid of humans.
    Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
Adjective
  • Exploring Indonesia—an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands—over more than a decade has led me to some truly jaw-dropping beaches, some gloriously desolate, others vibrantly alive with international travelers, expats, and locals.
    Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Noisemaker feels a genuine kinship with the Gallico story, including its setting, a desolate stretch of coastline in eastern England.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Koenigsegg The interiors are unsurprisingly spartan and driver-focused.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But as days turn to weeks, and a spartan Christmas gives way to a very unhappy new year, the family must consider the possibility that this is a grim new normal.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Bob Hoskins’s gruff detective, Eddie Valiant, sees them as a sometimes-dangerous nuisance, while conniving film-studio power players see them as moneymakers, and the rest of humanity sees them as shades in between.
    Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Scott, 88, shares the character's worldview, despite the filmmaker’s notoriously gruff exterior.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • It’s still built with comfort in mind, thanks to the flowy material and stretchy elastic waistbands of the pants and top, but has a simple cut that can be dressed up or down easily.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2026
  • This converts touch from a simple collision-detection mechanism into an active source of information for aerial navigation, positioning, and grasp control.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • In the middle of a near-empty parking lot sat an old Chevy pickup truck, rust around the quarter-panels.
    Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
  • After a brief stay in a very creepy hospital (unsettlingly empty) Hal and John reunite.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Stark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stark. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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