Armageddon

[ahr-muh-ged-n]

noun

1. (in the Bible) the place where a final battle will be fought between the forces of good and evil: probably so called in reference to the battlefield of Megiddo.

2. the last and completely destructive battle.

   The arms race can lead to Armageddon.

3. any great and crucial conflict.

Armageddon

/ ˌɑːməˈɡɛdən /

noun

1. New Testament the final battle at the end of the world between the forces of good and evil, God against the kings of the earth (Revelation 16:16)

2. a catastrophic and extremely destructive conflict, esp World War I viewed as this

Armageddon

1. In the Book of Revelation, the site of the final and conclusive battle between good and evil, involving “the kings of the Earth and the whole world,” on the “great day of God Almighty.”

Figuratively, “Armageddon” is any great battle or destructive confrontation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Armageddon¹

First recorded in 1580–90; Middle English Hermagedon, Old English Ermagedon, from Late Latin Hermagedōn, Armagedōn, from Greek Harmagedṓn, from Hebrew har măgiddō (măgiddōn) “mountain of Megiddo”; Megiddo ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Armageddon¹

C19: from Late Latin Armagedōn, from Greek, from Hebrew har megiddōn, mountain district of Megiddo, in N Palestine, site of various battles in the Old Testament

Example Sentences

The Greenbrier also became the place where the government would keep the US Congress safe in the event of a nuclear Armageddon.

Read more on Literature

The trade makes them feel good, as they reason they have protected their unrealized gains—even though such options are often priced in ways that require Armageddon to occur for them to prove profitable.

Read more on Barron's

Burry replied that while it was true that he foresaw Armageddon, he wasn’t betting on it.

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In this liberal fantasy, evangelicals embrace Israel because its existence begins the final countdown to Armageddon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“New York City is facing potential Armageddon,” said Doug Schoen, a former political adviser to the Clintons who has since become a regular on Fox News.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• annihilation 
• cataclysm 
• catastrophe 
• devastation