draconic

adjective

Definition of draconicnext
as in draconian

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of draconic In Fire & Blood, this battle is described as the only time during the Dance of Dragons when the dragons truly danced, which means TV audiences should expect some incredible draconic combat. — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026 The Shadow Bringer was sleeping in a canopied bed, cloaked in shadow, obsidian armor and his typical draconic mask with its caged jaw. — Lizz Schumer, People.com, 28 July 2025 The complications include a tourbillon, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and a complex celestial and astronomical system that indicates three lunar month displays that include the synodic, draconic, and anomalistic cycles. — Sophie Furley, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024 In the popular roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, a five-headed, draconic deity bears the goddess’ name. — Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for draconic
  1. draconian
  2. oppressive
  3. barbarous
  4. sadistic
  5. brutal
  6. harsh
  7. inhuman
  8. cruel
Adjective
  • That could spark draconian cuts to how much drinking water is available for millions of people and imperil farms 500 miles away in California's Imperial Valley.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Americans kept lighting up, though, even after draconian federal and state anti-drug laws were enacted during the 1990s.
    — Bob Woods, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of draconian
Adjective
  • Among those waiting to meet the president was Leon Czolgosz, a 28-year-old anarchist who considered the government oppressive.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • People seem to be craving the scent of something cooling and quenching, an olfactive promise that less oppressive weather lies ahead.
    — April Long, Allure, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of oppressive
Adjective
  • The chaos in Ithaca may be political and ethical—a violation of custom—but stretches of the poem are barbarous and wild, beyond civilized life altogether.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
  • Seeking to eliminate Berber forces in the barren mountains of northern Morocco, seven soldiers obediently follow their fanatical sergeant (Víctor Clavijo) into barbarous depths of depravity.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 16 May 2026
Definition of barbarous
Adjective
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl is set after an alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity and any survivors are forced to fight for their lives on a sadistic intergalactic game show.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • This was Perez Hilton, after all, a man who had earned fame in the mid-two-thousands for his salacious, sarcastic, and often sadistic coverage of celebrity suffering.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of sadistic
Adjective
  • Within a span of four months in Fort Worth last year, Watkins and Snellings were killed in similarly brutal attacks in the Near Southside and Historic Southside sections of the city.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Even so, when investor confidence broke in 1997, the adjustment was swift and brutal.
    — MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • Scott London Every year, Black Rock City appears on a dry lakebed in one of Nevada’s harshest areas, then disappears just as fast.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Hig has bunkered down with a grouchy companion, Bangley (Josh Brolin), who thrives in this harsh world.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of harsh
Adjective
  • Policing is, now, an inhuman practice in both an ethical and a technical sense.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of inhuman
Adjective
  • Having Sheridan actually be a cruel person was one of the key audience expectations the writer-director hoped to flip in the pursuit of laughs.
    — William Earl, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But Triage does have a moment in which an ember of the old cruel optimism flickers.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruel

Browse Nearby Words

draconian
draconic
draft
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Cite this Entry

“Draconic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/draconic. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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