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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of draconian
But China has moved aggressively in the past five years to curtail Hong Kong’s autonomy, undermining its judicial independence and imposing a draconian national security law.
—
Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Mar. 2025
American science is the envy of the world, but this global leadership is now threatened by draconian cuts to federal support of biomedical research through the defunding of grants and drastic reductions in funding for essential research costs and infrastructure.
—Dr. Ardem Patapoutian, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Yet targeting something as basic as library funding seems draconian at best.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2025
Wars rage on, political leaders rise to power and pass draconian laws and crises — both natural and man-made — keep unfolding.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for draconian
Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Mar. 2025
American science is the envy of the world, but this global leadership is now threatened by draconian cuts to federal support of biomedical research through the defunding of grants and drastic reductions in funding for essential research costs and infrastructure.
—Dr. Ardem Patapoutian, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Yet targeting something as basic as library funding seems draconian at best.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2025
Wars rage on, political leaders rise to power and pass draconian laws and crises — both natural and man-made — keep unfolding.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for draconian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for draconian
Adjective
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Hope reigns even in this harsh political climate we Americans are now experiencing.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Even if investors are slightly more confident this week, after Trump backed off most of his harshest tariff rates, the changes in people’s life-style habits serve as their own kind of affective barometer.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But graduating in 2009 meant stepping into a brutal job market during the Great Recession.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But when the ruthless Mafia boss Nicola Grimaldi discovers his young son has been kidnapped and murdered, the suspect and Grimaldi’s former friend Vito seeks refuge with police.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2025
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The way to move up in your organization might require being ruthless.—
Roberta Matuson,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Collector is also hoping these will satiate the growing wants of his oppressive overlord, The Forger (Roddy Ricch), who has mysterious motives of his own.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2025
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The current war in Sudan involves civil strife and shifting allegiances, in which one oppressive regime was toppled by a coalition, which then turned in on itself, leading to an even more vicious war.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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Jokes that didn’t land with the squad The kids in Bad Influence say the pranks were the most cruel.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Draconian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draconian. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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