drastic

Language: en

🇬🇧 /ˈdræstɪk/ 🇺🇸 /ˈdræstɪk/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect; radical and extreme.; Acting with force or severity; harsh and severe in nature.; In medicine, referring to a remedy or treatment that acts powerfully and rapidly, especially a strong purgative.
  2. noun
    A drastic remedy or measure, especially a strong purgative medicine.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more drastic Superlative: most drastic

Collocations

drastic measuresdrastic changedrastic reductiondrastic actiondrastic effectdrastic cut

Derivatives

drasticallydrasticness

Synonyms

extremesevereradicalharshstringentsweeping

Antonyms

mildmoderategentlegradual

Commonly confused

dramatic
EN: 'Dramatic' emphasizes impressiveness or theatricality; 'drastic' emphasizes severity and extremity of action or effect.
drastical
EN: 'Drastical' is an archaic/non-standard variant; 'drastic' is the correct modern form.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not add '-al' to form 'drastical'; the standard modern adjective is simply 'drastic'. The adverb is 'drastically'.

💬 Examples

  1. The government took drastic measures to combat inflation.

  2. The company imposed drastic penalties on employees who violated the code of conduct.

  3. The physician administered a drastic purgative to relieve the patient's severe constipation.

  4. The old apothecary prescribed a drastic for the patient's ailment.