Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Clearly distinguished or delineated.
  • adjective Bare, desolate, or unadorned.
  • adjective Severe or unmitigated; harsh or grim.
  • adjective Complete or utter; extreme.
  • adverb Utterly; entirely.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Wholly; entirely; absolutely: used with a few particular adjectives, as stark dead, stark blind, stark drunk, stark mad, stark naked, rarely with other adjectives.
  • To make stark, stiff, or rigid, as in death.
  • Naked; bare.
  • Stiff; rigid, as in death.
  • Stubborn; stiff; severe.
  • Stout; stalwart; strong; powerful.
  • Great; long.
  • Entire; perfect; utter; downright; sheer; pure; mere.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb rare To stiffen.
  • adverb Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite.
  • adverb wholly naked; quite bare.
  • adjective Stiff; rigid.
  • adjective obsolete Complete; absolute; full; perfect; entire.
  • adjective Strong; vigorous; powerful.
  • adjective obsolete Severe; violent; fierce.
  • adjective Mere; sheer; gross; entire; downright.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective obsolete Hard, firm; obdurate.
  • adjective Severe; violent; fierce (now usually in describing the weather).
  • adjective archaic Strong; vigorous; powerful.
  • adjective Stiff, rigid.
  • adjective Hard in appearance; barren, desolate.
  • adjective Complete, absolute, full.
  • adverb starkly; entirely, absolutely
  • verb To stiffen.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
  • adverb completely
  • adjective without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers
  • adjective complete or extreme
  • adjective providing no shelter or sustenance
  • adjective severely simple

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, stiff, severe, strong, from Old English stearc; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English stark, starc, from Old English stearc, starc ("stiff, rigid, obstinate, stern, severe, hard, harsh, rough, strong, violent, impetuous, not soft, not bending, unyielding, stiff-necked, attended with hardship, vehement, having the mind strengthened, stouthearted, courageous, determined, bold, brave, cruel"), from Proto-Germanic *starkaz, *starkuz (“stiff, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terg- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with Eastern Frisian sterc ("strong"), Dutch sterk ("strong"), Low German sterk ("strong"), German stark ("strong"), Danish stærk ("strong"), Swedish stark ("strong"), Icelandic sterkur ("strong"). Related to starch.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English starken, from Old English stearcian ("to stiffen, become hard, grow stiff or hard"), from Proto-Germanic *starkōnan, *starkēnan (“to stiffen, become hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terg- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with German erstarken ("to strengthen").

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Examples

Comments

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  • A contranym: both fullness ("completeness, exemplary") and emptiness ("lacking").

    August 2, 2008