Draconian
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of the Athenian statesman Draco, or his severe code of laws.
Draconian
American
[drey-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, dreɪˈkɒnɪk /
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
In recent years, the Center has broadened its legal work, returning to some poverty law; around eighty attorneys now work in five Southern states, challenging, among other things, penal juvenile-justice systems and Draconian anti-immigration laws.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 21, 2019
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
The United States and other Western nations demanded the abolishing of South Africa’s Draconian security laws, which allowed for detention without trial.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Fife Cook said the hearing was a "draconian procedure" and suggested council time and resources could be better used in providing essential services.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The issues MLB raises are legitimate; the solutions need not be so draconian.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
These programs aren’t draconian and don’t require people to be on lifelong restrictive diets, so sticking with them is easier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
"The imposition of such draconian sanctions on international judges is unprecedented," said the 66-page filing, which demands the sanctions be lifted.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
For example, the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos are now subjecting the last surviving California condors to a more draconian control of breeding than that imposed upon any domesticated species.
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.
