draconian

adjective, often capitalized dra·co·ni·an \ drā-ˈkō-nē-ən , drə- \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: draconian in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of draconian

1 law : of, relating to, or characteristic of Draco or the severe code of laws held to have been framed by him

2 : cruel; also : severe

draconian littering fines

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Examples of draconian in a Sentence

The editorial criticizes the draconian measures being taken to control the spread of the disease.

Recent Examples of draconian from the Web

Again, its egotistical insistence that its golf course be the champion has led to overcooked greens and draconian pin placements.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: What's more Everyman than cheating at golf?," 17 June 2018
Democrats appeared unified against the plan, calling it harsh and draconian.

— philip elliott, Time, "President Trump Spiked an Immigration Compromise He Supported," 15 June 2018
Britain hasn’t endured austerity to the same degree as Greece, where cutbacks were swift and draconian.

— peter s. goodman, New York Times, "In Britain, Austerity Is Changing Everything," 28 May 2018
Those who criticize raising the age limit call the efforts draconian and a violation of some cultural and religious customs.

— talia kirkland, Fox News, "After Delaware raises marriage age to 18, some wonder if other states will follow suit," 25 May 2018
The news came via an overheard walkie-talkie conversation; she was destined for the Malathi unit, notorious for its cruelty and draconian discipline.

— Longreads, "A Chance to Rewrite History: The Women Fighters of the Tamil Tigers," 22 May 2018
Oil prices have strengthened in recent weeks amid worry Washington would reinstate draconian sanctions that might quickly curtain Iranian exports, cutting global supplies.

— summer said, WSJ, "Saudi Arabia Pledges to Support Oil Markets," 9 May 2018
For years, authorities in Lowndes County imposed a draconian practice of arresting the mostly black citizens who skirted the county health regulations by straight-piping or creating their own solutions for the sewage problem.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Lowndes County, Ala.: The Place God Forgot," 27 Apr. 2018
Worse still is that the White House and many members of Congress seem opposed to the very pursuit of facts and have tried to place draconian restrictions on what federal scientists can research, publish or even discuss.

— jonathan foley, Scientific American, "The Administration’s War on Facts Is a War on Democracy Itself," 1 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'draconian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Draconian comes from Draco, the name of a 7th-century B.C. Athenian legislator who created a written code of law. Draco's code was intended to clarify preexistent laws, but its severity is what made it really memorable. In Draco's code, even minor offenses were punishable by death, and failure to pay one's debts could result in slavery. Draconian, as a result, became associated with things cruel or harsh. Something draconian need not always be as cruel as the laws in Draco's code, though - today the word is used in a wide variety of ways and often refers to measures (steep parking fines, for example) that are relatively minor when compared with the death penalty.