Draconian

[ drey-koh-nee-uhn, druh- ]
See synonyms for Draconian on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Athenian statesman Draco, or his severe code of laws.

  2. (often lowercase) rigorous; unusually severe or cruel: Draconian forms of punishment.

Origin of Draconian

1
First recorded in 1810–20; <Latin Dracōn- (stem of Draco) + -ian

Other words from Draconian

  • Dra·co·ni·an·ism, noun

Words Nearby Draconian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Draconian in a sentence

  • To walk these two miles per diem is a Draconian law which I impose upon myself during all seasons of the year.

    The Arena | Various
  • He read the sentence through three times, and then recollected that he had not looked up the Draconian reforms.

  • Turlough was unquestionably somewhat Spartan in his severities, if not Draconian in his administration of justice.

  • If there are exceptions who do not subscribe to these Draconian laws of the Parisian code, they are solitary examples.

    Father Goriot | Honore de Balzac
  • As the spoliation went on, the decrees became more and more Draconian.

    France and the Republic | William Henry Hurlbert

British Dictionary definitions for draconian

draconian

draconic (dreɪˈkɒnɪk)

/ (dreɪˈkəʊnɪən) /


adjective(sometimes capital)
  1. of or relating to Draco, 7th-century Athenian statesman and lawmaker, or his code of laws, which prescribed death for almost every offence

  2. harsh: draconian legislation

Derived forms of draconian

  • draconianism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012