Armageddon
Americannoun
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(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.
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the last and completely destructive battle.
The arms race can lead to Armageddon.
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any great and crucial conflict.
noun
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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)
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a catastrophic and extremely destructive conflict, esp World War I viewed as this
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Figuratively, “Armageddon” is any great battle or destructive confrontation.
Etymology
Origin of Armageddon
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”; see Megiddo ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The threat hasn’t come from Armageddon, but from friction that resembles a suburban homeowners’ association battle.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Yet with this Armageddon idea in mind, Gundlach said he asked his Treasury desk to analyze all the maturities in many of their funds.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
Rather than obsess about Armageddon, I submerged myself in routine.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025
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.
From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025
The Jehovah’s Witnesses took the Bible as the sole rule of faith and believed in a coming Armageddon between good and evil.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
