stark

Word family

stark1 /stɑːk $ stɑːrk/ adjectiveadj

1 SIMPLE/PLAINvery plain in appearance, with little or no colour or decoration 〔外表〕简陋的；无修饰的，荒凉的

In the cold dawn light, the castle looked stark and forbidding.

在寒冷的曙光中，城堡看上去了无生气，令人生畏。

the stark beauty of New Mexico

新墨西哥州的荒凉之美

2 UNPLEASANTunpleasantly clear and impossible to avoid 明摆着的；严酷的 SYN harsh

The movie shows the stark realities of life in the ghetto.

这部影片展示了贫民区生活的严酷现实。

The extreme poverty of the local people is in stark contrast to the wealth of the tourists.

当地居民的极度贫困和游客的富裕形成鲜明的对比。

We are faced with a stark choice.

我们面临残酷的选择。

a stark reminder of life under Communist rule

殖民主义统治下生活的严酷见证

—starkly adverbadv

—starkness noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

stark• The contrast between the lawyer and Scott was stark.• Ethnic divisions in the region remain stark.• the stark beauty of the desert• stark chrome furniture• This is in stark contrast to the fifties and sixties when loan capital formed an important part of corporate financing needs.• They were stark dramas of the billion-footed city.• Once or twice, soft stark footfalls went along the corridor.• Her apartment was clean and stark in a Straight forward way.• As a nation, we are right to finally confront the stark reality of needless suffering among the dying.• It was how I'd always imagined showbiz would be - far removed from the stark reality of Working Men's Clubs.• Others are put off by the stark social and economic differences between the two communities.• Gone are the gray industrial carpeting and the stark white walls.• The waiting room was stark, with hard, stiff chairs and lit by a single lightbulb.

stark contrast• The differing tactics present a stark contrast.• Statistics are poor and not easily comparable, but those which do exist show stark contrasts in conditions between different education authorities.• They're in stark contrast to an earlier picture he'd rather forget.• It was a human approach to football management in stark contrast to conditions beyond the boundaries of Arsenal Stadium.• This line of argument is in stark contrast to Drebin etal.• This is in stark contrast to the fifties and sixties when loan capital formed an important part of corporate financing needs.• The suicidal farmers can be set in stark contrast to the wealthy shareholders who pocket the difference.• It was a stark contrast with the commercial failure of the videodisc.

stark2 adverbadv

1 stark naked NAKEDnot wearing any clothes at all 一丝不挂的，赤裸裸的

Ben was standing there stark naked.

本一丝不挂地站在那里。

Examples from the Corpus

stark naked• Adam struggled, but he was too weak and the storm-troopers tore his trousers off, leaving him stark naked.• At that the quilt flew into the air and Joy and Janir erupted from it stark naked.• He seemed embarrassed to be confronted by a woman, stark naked and a good twelve inches shorter than himself.• I was stark naked and trussed up like a Haggis in mourning.• He was still stark naked but had decided to get dressed.• When they appeared in the dock they constituted the largest number of people ever to appear stark naked in a court room.• The tormented Onna, stark naked, pushed the blade in and pulled it sideways.• Sunny Jim is stark naked with a big piece of pizza in his right hand.

2 stark raving mad/bonkers (also stark staring mad British English)CRAZY completely crazy 完全疯了的

He’s gone stark raving mad.

他已经完全疯了。

Examples from the Corpus

stark raving mad/bonkers• All of this doesn't mean he wasn't stark raving mad, and just putting on.

Examples from the Corpus

stark• I was stark naked and trussed up like a Haggis in mourning.• Adam struggled, but he was too weak and the storm-troopers tore his trousers off, leaving him stark naked.

Origin stark1

Old English stearc “stiff, strong”

stark1 adjectiveadjstark2 adverbadv

Chinese

Corpus