noun
Meaning 1
The state or quality of being stark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
starkness
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈstɑːknəs/
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General-American: /ˈstɑɹknəs/
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rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)knəs
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CMU ARPABET: S T AA1 R K N IH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
The result or product of being stark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
an extreme lack of furnishings or ornamentation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- I was struck by the starkness of my father's room
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bareness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plainness
noun
Meaning 4
the quality of being complete or utter or extreme
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the starkness of his contrast between justice and fairness was open to many objections
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: absoluteness, utterness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: limit, bound, boundary
History
Etymology
From Middle English starknes, starkenes, starkenesse, equivalent to stark + -ness.