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
At a special board meeting one week before, a frustrated board voted to make a number of drastic moves to get the ball rolling on a fiscal solvency plan that had not yet been meaningfully implemented.
—
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Valadez said that would be too drastic and too disruptive to the entire Bay Area.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Graves said that the use of the word drastic in the memo was probably what caused alarm to the changes, saying it was taken out of context.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
Others say the directive is more of a statement of values than something that will result in drastic changes on the ground.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drastic
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Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Valadez said that would be too drastic and too disruptive to the entire Bay Area.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Graves said that the use of the word drastic in the memo was probably what caused alarm to the changes, saying it was taken out of context.
—Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2026
Others say the directive is more of a statement of values than something that will result in drastic changes on the ground.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 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 14 Feb. 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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