Drastic
//ˈdɹæs.tɪk// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A powerful, fast-acting purgative medicine.
Adjective
- 1 Having a strong or far-reaching effect; extreme, severe.
"If our third attempt fails, we may need drastic ideas."
- 2 Acting rapidly or violently.
"Great statesmen err, and why not small medical men? Mr. Wrench did not neglect sending the usual white parcels, which this time had black and drastic contents. Their effect was not alleviating to poor Fred [...]"
Adjective
- 1 forceful and extreme and rigorous wordnet
Example
More examples"The invention of TV caused a drastic change in our daily life."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek δραστικός (drastikós, “active, efficient”), from δρᾶσις (drâsis, “strength, efficacy”), itself from δράω (dráō, “to do”).
Related phrases
More for "drastic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.