Stark

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /stɑɹk/

Definitions

1. Sharp in contrast or clarity in form or quality
2. Unyieldingly harsh or bare in essence, showing no softness or embellishment
3. Having a harsh or severe quality in shape or appearance, showing no softness or ease ; lacking any ornamentation or added features, presenting a bare or simple look

Etymology: The adjective "stark" started out meaning "stiff" or "rigid," and its strongest sense was physical. Old English "stearc" could describe something hard and unbending, and it also carried the sense of "strong," "severe," or "violent." That range of meanings, from unyielding to forceful to harsh, is what the modern sense of "very plain or harsh" grows from. The word is closely related to "starch," which makes sense once you picture stiffened cloth. Its relatives across the Germanic languages, such as German "stark," Dutch "sterk," and Swedish "stark," still mostly mean "strong," so English is the branch where the idea of rigidity has moved furthest toward bareness and severity. In the phrase "stark naked," the word is older than its pairing with "naked" suggests. It alternates with Middle English "stert naked," where "stert" meant "tail," so the phrase parallels the modern "butt naked."

Synonyms: sharp, clear, distinct, severe, bleak

Antonyms: soft, gentle, subtle, faint, vague