TOP

Definition of draconian adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

draconian

adjective
 
/drəˈkəʊniən/
 
/drəˈkəʊniən/
(formal)
jump to other results
  1. (of a law, punishment, etc.) extremely cruel and severe
    • a call for draconian measures against drug-related crime
    • There have been calls for draconian measures against drug-related crime.
    Extra Examples
    • The newspaper struggled to continue under the regime's draconian censorship laws.
    • Trade unions regarded to draft legislation as draconian.
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryDraconian is used with these nouns:
    • cut
    • measure
    • penalty
    See full entry
    Word Originlate 19th cent.: from the name of Draco (7th century BC), an Athenian legislator known for his severity + -ian.
See draconian in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
alloy
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Physics and chemistry
C2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day