Draconian
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of the Athenian statesman Draco, or his severe code of laws.
Draconian
American
[dray-koh-nee-uhn, druh-]
/ dreɪˈkoʊ ni ən, drə- /
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of the Athenian statesman Draco, or his severe code of laws.
-
(often lowercase) rigorous; unusually severe or cruel.
Draconian forms of punishment.
draconian
British
/ dreɪˈkəʊnɪən /
adjective
-
of or relating to Draco, 7th-century Athenian statesman and lawmaker, or his code of laws, which prescribed death for almost every offence
-
harsh
draconian legislation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Draconian
First recorded in 1810–20; < Latin Dracōn- (stem of Draco ) + -ian
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Draconian policies, enacted decades ago in response to violence in the pools, continue to restrict what bathers can take onto pool decks, infusing the pools with what Ms. Amaro called “a prison-yard mentality.”
From New York Times ● May 28, 2022
Draconian measures designed to slow the spread of coronavirus mean millions of Brazilians are now cooped up at home and unable to take their anger on to the streets.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 25, 2020
Such Draconian measures did little to stop slave revolts in Jamaica or elsewhere, but the revolts did change the debate over slavery.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 20, 2020
Of course, we would like our kids to get enough sleep, but at these ages it’s not really something we can enforce unless we want to go full-on Draconian Dictator.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2018
“Where do you think you would be without the Draconian Marsh role?”
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
In his most draconian move yet, the Pentagon polygraphed some 50 high-ranking military officers and civilian officials on the Joint Staff, which coordinates operations, policy and war plans with combatant commanders worldwide.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Exports surged 23.9% in the 12 months from July 2025, but that will only heighten concerns about “China Shock 2.0” that have economies all over the world contemplating draconian restrictions on Chinese trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
I believe in its objectives, but it’s too draconian, especially for voters in remote parts of Alaska.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The issues MLB raises are legitimate; the solutions need not be so draconian.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Those and other draconian measures must have contributed to the spread of North China’s Sino-Tibetan languages over most of China, and to reducing the Miao-Yao and other language families to their present fragmented distributions.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
