1
: acting rapidly or violently
a drastic purgative
2
: extreme in effect or action : severe
drastic measures
made drastic changes
Examples of drastic in a Sentence
The situation calls for drastic measures.
Maybe we should try something less drastic first.
Recent Examples on the Web
Such a drop would leave the city vulnerable if faced with a single major unexpected cost and could force drastic cuts to services or personnel.
—
Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Fed up with dangerous plant conditions and drastic wage cuts, Austin’s Local P-9 went against the advice of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and, with the help of labor activist Ray Rogers, held a nearly yearlong walkout.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 1 May 2026
Counsell suggested Crow-Armstrong would gradually increase his walk rate over his career, though not at a drastic level of, say, between 10-12%.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The result was that, unlike novels and plays, movies became more or less synonymous with bowdlerizations so ingrained and so drastic that even most ostensible masterworks of realism come off like Candyland to viewers unindoctrinated by studio standards.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drastic
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Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Fed up with dangerous plant conditions and drastic wage cuts, Austin’s Local P-9 went against the advice of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and, with the help of labor activist Ray Rogers, held a nearly yearlong walkout.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 1 May 2026
Counsell suggested Crow-Armstrong would gradually increase his walk rate over his career, though not at a drastic level of, say, between 10-12%.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The result was that, unlike novels and plays, movies became more or less synonymous with bowdlerizations so ingrained and so drastic that even most ostensible masterworks of realism come off like Candyland to viewers unindoctrinated by studio standards.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drastic
Cite this Entry
“Drastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drastic. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
drastic
1 of 2 adjective
dras·tic
ˈdras-tik 
: acting rapidly or violently
—used chiefly of purgatives
drastic
2 of 2 noun
: a powerful medicinal agent
especially
: a strong purgative
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