DRACONIC Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

draconic

adjective

Definition of draconic

as in draconian

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of draconic In Fire & Blood, this battle is described as the only time during the Dance of Dragons when the dragons truly danced, which means TV audiences should expect some incredible draconic combat. — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 The Shadow Bringer was sleeping in a canopied bed, cloaked in shadow, obsidian armor and his typical draconic mask with its caged jaw. — Lizz Schumer, People.com, 28 July 2025 The complications include a tourbillon, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and a complex celestial and astronomical system that indicates three lunar month displays that include the synodic, draconic, and anomalistic cycles. — Sophie Furley, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024 In the popular roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, a five-headed, draconic deity bears the goddess’ name. — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for draconic

Adjective

Only weeks after September 11, Congress passed the draconian Patriot Act.

— David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026
In a basement in a quiet corner of Kabul, CBS News was granted rare access this week to a secret school where teen girls dare to continue their education in defiance of a draconian Taliban regime — girls who want their voices to be heard.

— Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of draconian

Adjective

Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro resigned Wednesday following an investigation into a complaint alleging the workplace culture under her leadership was oppressive, bullying and intimidating.

— Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026
In its opening episodes, the series carefully distinguishes Lizzie from her male killer counterparts while highlighting the oppressive conditions women faced in the era.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of oppressive

Adjective

The chaos in Ithaca may be political and ethical—a violation of custom—but stretches of the poem are barbarous and wild, beyond civilized life altogether.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Seeking to eliminate Berber forces in the barren mountains of northern Morocco, seven soldiers obediently follow their fanatical sergeant (Víctor Clavijo) into barbarous depths of depravity.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 16 May 2026

Definition of barbarous

Adjective

Documentarian Erin Lee Carr’s latest project is a deep dive into The Swan, the 2004 reality show widely considered one of the most unethical and sadistic in TV history.

— Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Many of them, including Ned and his childhood friend and rival, Roland, are scarred by their time as youth players, haunted by memories of the sadistic coaches and cruel, competitive fathers who terrorized them both on and off the court.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of sadistic

Adjective

Thirty-two years after Brown Simpson's brutal killing, her sister continues to alert people to the dangers of intimate partner violence.

— Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
The Trojans face Washington at the Coliseum before a brutal stretch that includes Penn State, Indiana and Ohio State, with their playoff hopes at stake.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Companies often overoptimize to say the safest possible thing and end up sounding evasive or inhuman.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
In positioning New York as not just the center of our reality but others as well, Control Resonant continues a proud tradition of using the city as a monument to human pride contrasting against an inhuman menace.

— Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of inhuman

Adjective

The policy of sending them to a third country has been condemned as harsh and cruel.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Eight men were killed via gassing until an Alabama district judge ruled the execution method unconstitutionally cruel, in June; the Supreme Court has maintained the block.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Browse Nearby Words

draconian

draconic

draft

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Draconic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draconic. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of draconic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

regimen

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes