drastic
adjective
dras·tic
| \ ˈdra-stik
\
\
Definition of drastic
1
: acting rapidly or violently
a drastic purgative
2
: extreme in effect or action : severe
drastic measures made drastic changes
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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
The foggy coastal environment where strawberries thrive is undergoing drastic environmental change, with hotter summers and more saline soils. — Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, "Rosé Berries Have Arrived," 11 Aug. 2019 The Garlic Festival organizers are sure to make drastic changes next year, Gagliano said, but putting every officer in Gilroy isn't the answer. — Amir Vera, CNN, "Gilroy Garlic Festival patrons reported metal detectors and patrolling officers, but the shooter still found a way in," 30 July 2019 Within that time, the planet could undergo drastic changes, such as an ice-free Arctic Ocean in the summers and other scenarios that would significantly weaken the jet stream. — Denise Chow, NBC News, "A strange, wavy jet stream is blasting Europe with heat. Scientists say this could be the 'new normal.'," 29 June 2019 Glass Lewis, on the other hand, said such drastic change isn’t warranted given that EQT has already added eight directors and installed new management in the past year. — Cara Lombardo, WSJ, "Proxy Advisers Split on EQT’s Fight With Rice Brothers," 28 June 2019 Unlike in the United States, for instance, German systems usually only lower the temperature by a few degrees, to avoid exposing consumers to drastic temperature changes and to save energy. — Author: Rick Noack, Anchorage Daily News, "Europe’s record heat wave is changing minds about the value of air conditioning," 28 June 2019 Much has been said about Ron Washington’s mentorship contributing to Semien’s drastic defensive improvements over the last two years. — Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, "The adjustments that led to Marcus Semien’s offensive breakout," 10 Aug. 2019 Just then, a car drove over rumble strips on nearby Galm Road and the officer noticed a drastic change in the woman's body language. — Tom Steele, Dallas News, "Pair climb tree to get away from 'feral hog' in Texas park, but that's not what was chasing them," 4 July 2019 The department also took the drastic step of pulling more than 100 patrol vehicles out of service to preserve evidence. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Shock Trauma guard charged with raping a woman in Baltimore has impersonated police officer before," 12 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drastic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for drastic
drastic
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of drastic
: extreme in effect or action : severe or serious
See the full definition for drastic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
drastic
adjective
dras·tic
| \ ˈdra-stik
\
\
Kids Definition of drastic
: severe in effect : harsh
a drastic change
drastic
adjective
dras·tic
| \ ˈdras-tik
\
\
Medical Definition of drastic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: acting rapidly or violently
—used chiefly of purgatives
Other Words from drastic
drastically
\ -ti-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
drastic
nounMedical Definition of drastic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a powerful medicinal agent
especially
: a strong purgative
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