Synonyms of draconian

draconian

adjective

as in harsh

formal + disapproving unnecessarily strict or severe

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

draconian punishments

Related Words

• harsh
• brutal
• ruthless
• oppressive
• cruel
• grim
• vicious
• merciless
• barbaric
• inhumane
• inhuman
• sadistic
• draconic
• barbarous
• heavy-handed
• savage
• heartless
• atrocious
• brute
• fiendish
• truculent
• pitiless
• ferocious
• hardhanded
• unfeeling
• butcherly
• murderous
• wanton
• bloodthirsty
• malicious
• hard-hearted
• vindictive
• sanguinary
• malevolent
• hateful
• malignant
• ironhearted
• spiteful
• cutthroat
• sanguine
• stonyhearted
• fell
• malign
• nasty
• mean
• despiteful
• catty

Dissimilar Words

• warm
• lenient
• merciful
• charitable
• tender
• pitying
• peaceful
• benign
• sympathetic
• peaceable
• warmhearted
• humane
• kind
• pacific
• compassionate
• clement
• kindhearted
• benignant
• good-hearted
• tenderhearted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of draconian

That could spark draconian cuts to how much drinking water is available for millions of people and imperil farms 500 miles away in California's Imperial Valley. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

Americans kept lighting up, though, even after draconian federal and state anti-drug laws were enacted during the 1990s. — Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026

Yet even in these draconian conditions, Afghan women have continued to fight for their rights, meeting the Taliban’s repression with extraordinary acts of courage. — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

Ali Riaz, a professor of political science at Illinois State University, said the uprising was a response to Hasina's decades-long draconian rule. — Shamim Chowdhury, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026

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