draconian

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 2 minutes

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Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 3, 2025 is:

draconian • \dray-KOH-nee-un\ • adjective

Draconian describes something (often a law, policy, restriction, etc.) that is very severe or cruel.

// The editorial criticizes the draconian measures being taken by city hall to rein in spending.

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Examples:

“The auras that surround the Sharks and the Hawks are wildly distinct, even if the teams’ records are close to the same. To put it in Chicago terms, one team has the vibe of a Ferris Bueller (plays hooky, joins random parades, chicks dig him)—and the other is, I’m sorry to say, increasingly Principal Rooney–esque (grim faced, tightly wound, represents a draconian institution).” — Katie Baker, The Ringer, 15 Jan. 2025

Did you know?

Draconian comes from Drakōn, the name (later Latinized as Draco) of a 7th-century B.C. Athenian legislator who created a written code of law. Drakōn’s code was intended to clarify existing laws, but its severity is what made it really memorable. According to the code, even minor offenses were punishable by death, and failure to pay one's debts could result in slavery. Draconian, as a result, is used especially for authoritative actions that are viewed as cruel or harsh.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the Word of the Day podcast for March 3rd.
0:11.6	Today's word is Draconian, spelled D-R-A-C-O-N-I-A-N.
0:17.6	Draconian is an adjective.
0:19.6	It describes something, often a law, policy, or restriction
0:22.6	that is very severe or cruel. Here's the word used in a sentence from The Ringer by Katie Baker.
0:29.3	The oras that surround the sharks and the hawks are wildly distinct, even if the team's
0:34.9	records are close to the same. To put it in Chicago terms, one team has the
0:40.6	vibe of a Ferris Bueller, plays hooky, joins random parades, chicks dig him, and the other is,
0:47.2	I'm sorry to say, increasingly Principal Rooney-esque, grim-faced, tightly wound, represents a draconian
0:53.7	institution. The word draconian institution.
0:55.4	The word draconian comes from Dracon, the name, later Latinized as Draco, of a 7th century
1:02.0	BC Athenian legislator who created a written code of law.
1:06.6	Dracon's code was intended to clarify existing laws, but its severity is what made it really memorable.
1:13.7	According to the code, even minor offenses were punishable by death, and failure to pay one's debts could result in slavery.
1:21.9	Draconian as a result is used especially for authoritative actions that are viewed as cruel or harsh.
1:28.3	With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski.
1:34.6	Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.

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