draconian

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.

Nevertheless, the city council has proposed draconian measures to raise business costs even further, requiring one employee for every three self-checkout lanes and a 15-item maximum at self-checkout.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Everything fell: oil prices, the dollar, even gold, because investors were shocked by how unsophisticated and draconian the policy was.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

Rights groups have denounced the sentence as "draconian" and "egregious".

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026

Human Rights Watch has condemned the AL ban as "draconian".

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

The regime he imposed was draconian: He subtracted the labor that kept Pennsylvania’s inmates occupied during the day in their cells, as well as the opportunity they had for daily exercise.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover