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

The lack of clarity in the letter caused some in the medical community to worry that switching oversight of the guidelines to another branch of HHS could be a first step by the Trump administration toward more drastic changes in the government's treatment recommendations. —Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025

Purchases of an album are usually at their most impressive during the title’s first frame of availability, and even some long-running successes experience drastic dips in pure purchases. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

But the relationship between Musk and Trump soured earlier this month after the tech titan berated the president's spending bill on X, leading to a drastic sell-off in the stock. —Samantha Subin, CNBC, 20 June 2025

Since bringing the production and distribution processes in-house two years ago, Roda was tasked with taking drastic steps impacting especially the brand’s wholesale footprint, streamlining its network to the current 900 doors from 1,400 in 2021. —Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 June 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