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Draconian comes from Draco, the name of a 7th-century B.C. Athenian legislator who created a written code of law. Draco's code was intended to clarify existing laws, but its severity is what made it really memorable. According to the code, even minor offenses were punishable by death, and failure to pay one's debts could result in slavery. Draconian, as a result, became associated with especially authoritative actions that are viewed as cruel or harsh.
Examples of draconian in a Sentence
The editorial criticizes the draconian measures being taken to control the spread of the disease.
Recent Examples on the Web
Banning these members of the endurance community feels draconian.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 9 Nov. 2024
This year, Trump has taken increasingly extreme anti-business, including proposing draconian, universal 10% tariffs on all imports from all countries, which would hurt businesses and consumers while raising prices across the board.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
By contrast, Trump, in his third presidential bid, has espoused a fevered xenophobia, vilifying immigrants as predatory criminals and laying out draconian plans to repress immigration, not fix it.
—Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
Disposability is how Amazon maintains draconian control over its workers’ fragile sense of job security, leeching their desire to push back by unionizing.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for draconian 
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Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 9 Nov. 2024
This year, Trump has taken increasingly extreme anti-business, including proposing draconian, universal 10% tariffs on all imports from all countries, which would hurt businesses and consumers while raising prices across the board.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
By contrast, Trump, in his third presidential bid, has espoused a fevered xenophobia, vilifying immigrants as predatory criminals and laying out draconian plans to repress immigration, not fix it.
—Julia Preston, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2024
Disposability is how Amazon maintains draconian control over its workers’ fragile sense of job security, leeching their desire to push back by unionizing.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for draconian
Dictionary Entries Near draconian
Cite this Entry
“Draconian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draconian. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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