drastic

adjective

dras·​tic ˈdra-stik 

1

: acting rapidly or violently

a drastic purgative

2

: extreme in effect or action : severe

drastic measures

made drastic changes

Examples of drastic in a Sentence

The situation calls for drastic measures.

Maybe we should try something less drastic first.

Recent Examples on the Web

Folklore arrived without warning and marked a drastic sonic shift from the powerhouse musician – a welcome one. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025

That would be a drastic shift, but Trump has shown a willingness to junk political orthodoxy, as this week’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria and meet Ahmed el-Sharaa showed. —J. Tedford Tyler, Time, 17 May 2025

Boston, even with its title pedigree, looked shell-shocked, out of its league in a way few thought possible given the drastic swings in the series. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025

At the time of that initial proposal, sources close to the situation revealed a degree of hesitation from those around Rhodes regarding such a drastic shift, primarily citing his remarkable success as a babyface. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin drāsticus, borrowed from Greek drāstikós "active, energetic, (of medication) acting rapidly," from drāst-, stem of drā́stēs "doer, performer" (from drā-, variant stem of dráō, drân "to do, perform" + -tēs, agentive suffix, with analogical -s-) + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at drama

First Known Use

circa 1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for drastic

• clastic
• mastic
• plastic
• spastic
• aeroelastic
• ecclesiastic
• elastoplastic
• enthusiastic
• iconoclastic
• interscholastic
• megaloblastic
• osteoblastic

Kids Definition

drastic

adjective

dras·​tic ˈdras-tik 

1

: acting rapidly or violently

2

: severe in effect : harsh

had to take drastic measures

drastically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

drastic

1 of 2 adjective

dras·​tic ˈdras-tik 

: acting rapidly or violently

—used chiefly of purgatives

drastically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

drastic

2 of 2 noun

: a powerful medicinal agent

especially : a strong purgative