drastic
/ˈdrɑːstɪk/adjective, noun
drastic is spelled D-R-A-S-T-I-C: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, drastic means “Having a strong or far-reaching effect; extreme, severe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in drastic?
| Letters | 7: D-R-A-S-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.3 times per million words; the 12,397th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is drastic?
Drastic appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce drastic?
- /ˈdɹæs.tɪk/
- UK /ˈdrɑːstɪk/
Drastic has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-drastic.ogg, En-au-drastic.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of drastic
- more drastic comparative
- most drastic superlative
- drastick
- drastics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does drastic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
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.
noun
- 1
A powerful, fast-acting purgative medicine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Drastic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense extreme, severe:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.