What's the difference between obdurate and stark?

Obdurate


Definition:

  • (a.) Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked.
  • (a.) Hard; harsh; rugged; rough; intractable.
  • (v. t.) To harden.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The system is not an obdurate one-man rule, but a balancing of power groups, including the military, government and internal security, all have different interests and policies.
  • (2) Both the Coalition and Labor are obdurately stuck with barbaric offshore detention policies, as though sensible, humane and politically viable alternatives are beyond them.
  • (3) For their part, the Israeli left accused Peres of acting as a figleaf for an obdurate Likud administration.
  • (4) Report on the temporary substitution of pharynx and upper oesophagus with synthetic skin substitute in case of incurable obdurating neck carcinoma.
  • (5) His team-mates were obdurate opponents in every respect.
  • (6) The fact that it was Johnson rather than Crow who had been obdurate was highlighted by the fact that TfL had all along planned to retain ticket-selling facilities at several busy stations, but, prompted by Johnson, had publicly suggested that they would all be closed.
  • (7) For the first time there were obvious signs of tension and, suddenly, this tough, obdurate West Bromwich side showed an attacking intent that simply had not been there earlier in the match.
  • (8) In the face of obdurate unreason, the president of hyper-reasonableness was forced to surrender.
  • (9) Underpinning the witty remarks and the textbook flippancy ("call me early, Goering dear, for I'm to be Queen of the May" was apparently Nancy's riposte to news of Diana and Unity's German adventures) though, was an absolute and obdurate self-belief; a self-possessed seriousness only partly disguised by sisterly teasing.
  • (10) Max from Earlsfield muses: "Admittedly terrible from Fab, a shame after 47 minutes of obdurate defence.
  • (11) This was a slog, a result ground out against ruggedly obdurate opposition , but Chelsea may end up gaining more satisfaction from prevailing in those awkward circumstances than from some of the more comfortable strolls they have enjoyed over a nine-match winning streak.
  • (12) Read more It was the third minute of stoppage time, and the cruellest of circumstances for this tough, obdurate Burnley side, when Arsenal’s possession finally paid off and the seemingly endless 20th-anniversary commemorations for Arsène Wenger were given a shot of euphoria that had not seemed like coming.
  • (13) Ireland were obdurate opponents but that does not fully explain the lack of quality that held back England once Frank Lampard had scored the 29th goal of his international career, 10 minutes after Shane Long's expertly taken header had given Giovanni Trapattoni's side an early lead.
  • (14) Russia's determination to defend wider spheres of traditional influence in the non-aligned and developing world can be seen in its obdurate refusal to penalise Syria, in the face of almost universal outrage over the crackdown there; and in its de facto defence of Iran's nuclear programme.
  • (15) It had needed some obdurate defending to keep the score down before Alves exchanged passes with the substitute Neymar and cut in from the right to slip his shot through Hart's legs.
  • (16) Republicans have been both obdurate and obtuse in Congress, where approval ratings have rarely scraped 20%.
  • (17) He is assertive (he insists on his photographer and dictates the terms of the interview), obdurate and, at times, wilfully contrary.
  • (18) We had an obdurate Labor party, a feckless Senate and a very difficult media culture,” Abbott said.
  • (19) In the years since those facts first became known, the story of the Holocaust has been told and retold, yet it still remains obdurately difficult to tell.
  • (20) Giles also remained obdurate and continued to refuse to resign even though he had only four supporters as against the conspirators’ nine.

Stark


Definition:

  • (n.) Stiff; rigid.
  • (n.) Complete; absolute; full; perfect; entire.
  • (n.) Strong; vigorous; powerful.
  • (n.) Severe; violent; fierce.
  • (n.) Mere; sheer; gross; entire; downright.
  • (adv.) Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite; as, stark mind.
  • (v. t.) To stiffen.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) World leaders must reach a historic agreement to fight climate change and poverty at coming talks in Paris, facing the stark choice to either “improve or destroy the environment”, Pope Francis said in Africa on Thursday.
  • (2) Facebook Twitter Pinterest No shake: Donald Trump snubs Angela Merkel during photo op The piece of pantomime was in stark contrast to the visit of Theresa May in January.
  • (3) But as a former Eurocrat, he is well-versed in the weaknesses and believes it is right to highlight them in stark language.
  • (4) These achievements, and faults, will find stark contrast with Trump’s administration; certainly Trump’s nominations for key positions in his cabinet that relate to climate change have prompted alarm by experts and campaigners.
  • (5) An ethnic breakdown of other opinion-formers, from book reviewers to theatre critics, would be just as stark.
  • (6) Paul*, from Essex, a father of two daughters, has experienced those starkly differing standards.
  • (7) Friends of the Earth's executive director, Andy Atkins, said: "We can't continue to ignore the stark warnings of the catastrophic consequences of climate change on the lives and livelihoods of people across the planet.
  • (8) She went on to deliver a stark warning that leaving the single market would deter international investors from Britain and lead major companies to question whether they should relocate to mainland Europe.
  • (9) This was in stark contrast to my comprehensive school.
  • (10) Their differences highlight Northern Ireland’s often stark dichotomy between religious-based social conservatism and secular progressive liberalism.
  • (11) By global city standards even those are quite clean and orderly, but compared with the rest of the city they offer a stark contrast.
  • (12) Dig deeper into the funding numbers – the real story of national politics in the post Citizens United age – and the Tea Party realignment of the GOP stands out yet more starkly.
  • (13) The inequalities that have been allowed to emerge in this one street are so stark they recall an era as long past as the period of its houses.
  • (14) A glance at today's Sun provides a stark reminder that constitutional reform is no way to win easy plaudits from the papers that most voters read.
  • (15) Although the Kyoto agreement only measures production, the stark difference in the figures highlights a key controversy in negotiations about a new treaty – which will continue at a big UN meeting in Cancún, Mexico, in December : some developing countries, such as China, argue they should not be held responsible for emissions generated by consumption in rich nations.
  • (16) It is a stark contrast to expectations before the vote to leave the EU, when the next move in interest rates was seen as likely to be upwards.
  • (17) The next few days may well determine whether, this time, such loyalty will be in vain; but, while yearning for a clarion call and what was described as "vision" in this paper's leading article yesterday, I need to pose some pretty stark questions to Guardian readers.
  • (18) They included Lena Heady (Queen Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Conleth Hill (Lord Varys), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), 17-year-old Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and 18-year-old Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).
  • (19) The orderly village of Agulodiek in Ethiopia's western Gambella region stands in stark contrast to Elay, a settlement 5km west of Gambella town, where collapsed straw huts strewn with cracked clay pots lie among a tangle of bushes.
  • (20) The next three years of negotiations on the treaty will be the hardest in the 20-year history of climate change talks because the world has changed enormously since 1992, when the UN convention on climate change was signed, and 1997, when the Kyoto protocol enshrined a stark division between developed countries – which were required to cut emissions – and developing countries, which were not.