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.”

Notes

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

It’s essentially a reboot of the 1998 Bruce Willis masterpiece “Armageddon,” except no one can agree on what to do about the comet—or whether it even exists.

From Quartz

I knew: Nuclear Armageddon was staring me in the face on a daily basis.

From The Daily Beast

For instance, both North Korea and China have recently talked about unleashing Armageddon.

From The Daily Beast

With the DR-Congo now Ebola-stricken, fears of an Armageddon are rising.

From The Daily Beast

Within months Musharraf had started a war with India in Kashmir and was taking the country to the brink of Armageddon.

From The Daily Beast

They lead armies into battle and are in training for the final showdown at Armageddon.

From The Daily Beast

For a long time after he had gone to bed Hyacinth lay awake haunted by his father's prophecy of an Armageddon.

From Project Gutenberg

The letter seemed the first clear note of the trumpet summoning him to his father's Armageddon.

From Project Gutenberg

They recalled, as so many different things seemed to do, his father's vision of an Armageddon.

From Project Gutenberg

There still recurred to him memories of his father's vision of an Armageddon and the conception of his own part in it.

From Project Gutenberg

Such were the numbers and such the carnage that men have compared the conflict to that of the nations at Armageddon.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• annihilation
• cataclysm
• catastrophe
• devastation