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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Recent Examples of draconian
The Taliban's violent suppression of criticism, along with draconian crackdowns on women's rights, meant journalists who stayed in Afghanistan were at constant risk of being detained, tortured, disappeared or killed.
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Trisha Mukherjee, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2024
The parliament, which consists mostly of hardline extremists, has ratified a draconian bill on hijab, the headscarf and robes the Islamic Republic imposes on all women.
—Kay Armin Serjoie, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024
But after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan devolved into quagmires, and amid an increasingly draconian security state and cascading failures at home — from Hurricane Katrina to the housing bubble — something shifted.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
American officials this summer tried a hardball negotiation tactic with allies by warning that the U.S. could directly curb the China sales of foreign companies, a step that Japan and the Netherlands viewed as a draconian overreach.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune Asia, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for draconian 
Trisha Mukherjee, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2024
The parliament, which consists mostly of hardline extremists, has ratified a draconian bill on hijab, the headscarf and robes the Islamic Republic imposes on all women.
—Kay Armin Serjoie, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024
But after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan devolved into quagmires, and amid an increasingly draconian security state and cascading failures at home — from Hurricane Katrina to the housing bubble — something shifted.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
American officials this summer tried a hardball negotiation tactic with allies by warning that the U.S. could directly curb the China sales of foreign companies, a step that Japan and the Netherlands viewed as a draconian overreach.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune Asia, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for draconian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for draconian
Adjective
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Soviet scientists at the time believed that strays, given that they were already accustomed to harsh conditions, would be better suited to the extreme environments of space.Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
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Advocates and relatives describe harsh conditions in immigration detention.Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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After decades of conflict with Beijing over discrimination and suppression of their cultural identity, the Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown on the Uyghurs that some Western governments deem a genocide.Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
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Action icon Donnie Yen (John Wick: Chapter 4) directs and stars in this brutal revenge story about a former prosecutor determined to exact justice.Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The lawyer who normally practices in New York is gregarious, quick with a joke and always happy to talk to the media, but can be ruthless in cross-examination.Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
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City are going through some stuff, Arsenal aren’t ruthless enough, Chelsea are wobbling, teams will figure out how to beat Nottingham Forest soon enough, Newcastle are the form team now but are an Alexander Isak injury away from trouble.Carl Anka, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But the backdrops are rendered with an oppressive prettiness that has a perverse cheapening effect.Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
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The total absence of shadow is an oppressive sensation, which engenders a feeling similar to that of claustrophobia.New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And having more thoughtful conversations doesn’t preclude the need sometimes to confront those who are needlessly cruel or organizations that benefit from such exploitation.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Jan. 2025
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In recent months, the Justice Department and the state filed thousands of pages of new records in the lawsuit, including reports and sworn statements from pediatricians, scholars and others who describe Florida’s policies as archaic and cruel.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near draconian
Cite this Entry
“Draconian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draconian. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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