Juggernaut

[ juhg-er-nawt, -not ]

/ ˈdʒʌg ərˌnɔt, -ˌnɒt /

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noun

(often lowercase) any large, overpowering, destructive force or object, as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.

(often lowercase) anything requiring blind devotion or cruel sacrifice.

Also called Jagannath. an idol of Krishna, at Puri in Odisha, India, annually drawn on an enormous cart under whose wheels devotees are said to have thrown themselves to be crushed.

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Origin of Juggernaut

From Hindi Jagannāth, from Sanskrit Jagannātha- “lord of the world” (i.e., the god Vishnu or Krishna), equivalent to jagat “moving, the world” (the present participle of jagāti, jigāti “he, she, it goes,” from the same root as gamāti “he goes”) + nātha- “lord, protector”; def. 3 was first recorded in 1630–40; defs. 1, 2 were first recorded in 1840–45; see origin at come

OTHER WORDS FROM Juggernaut

Jug·ger·naut·ish, adjective

Words nearby Juggernaut

jugate, jug band, Jugendstil, jugful, jugged hare, Juggernaut, juggins, juggle, juggler, jugglery, jughead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use Juggernaut in a sentence

Launched just 13 years ago, it quickly became a serious rival to MAS and a rising juggernaut in Asia.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370|Lennox Samuels|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The whole purpose was to create this idea that there was this Prussian juggernaut.
How The Cold War Endgame Played Out In The Rubble Of The Berlin Wall|William O’Connor|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It did little to stop this juggernaut, as the Chiefs racked up another 47 points in the second half, despite emptying their bench.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their Own|Robert Silverman|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Take, for example, another YA juggernaut: The Hunger Games trilogy.
Young Adult Novel Adaptations Put Mainstream Blockbusters to Shame|Amy Zimmerman|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That is what my book is about: How do you get the strength to jump off the juggernaut of a relationship?
Novelist Holly Peterson Talks About New York, Power Trippers, and Love|Hannah Seligson|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then something screamed at them out there in the night and came at them like a juggernaut.
Hunters Out of Space|Joseph Everidge Kelleam
His Juggernaut's car must roll on its course over her body or Mary Lawrie's.
An Old Man's Love|Anthony Trollope
The school of hardship is not for those who love luxury, and to the poverty stricken it is not a school--it is a Juggernaut.
Bill's School and Mine|William Suddards Franklin
And there are hints of humaner opinions; it's not all a huge rolling block of a Juggernaut.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith
Like a Juggernaut, it continued to advance, crushing all who got in its way, the innocent and the evil alike.
Court Beauties of Old Whitehall|W. R. H. Trowbridge

British Dictionary definitions for Juggernaut (1 of 2)

juggernaut

/ (ˈdʒʌɡəˌnɔːt) /

noun

any terrible force, esp one that destroys or that demands complete self-sacrifice

British a very large lorry for transporting goods by road, esp one that travels throughout Europe

British Dictionary definitions for Juggernaut (2 of 2)

Juggernaut

/ (ˈdʒʌɡəˌnɔːt) /

noun Hinduism

a crude idol of Krishna worshipped at Puri and throughout Odisha (formerly Orissa) and Bengal. At an annual festival the idol is wheeled through the town on a gigantic chariot and devotees are supposed to have formerly thrown themselves under the wheels

a form of Krishna miraculously raised by Brahma from the state of a crude idol to that of a living god

Word Origin for Juggernaut

C17: from Hindi Jagannath, from Sanskrit Jagannātha lord of the world (that is, Vishnu, chief of the Hindu gods), from jagat world + nātha lord

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Juggernaut

Juggernaut

[ (jug-uhr-nawt) ]

A deity in Hinduism, considered a deliverer from sin. His image is carried on a large wagon in an annual procession in India, and according to legend the wagon crushed worshipers who threw themselves under it.

notes for Juggernaut

A force, an idea, or a system of beliefs that overcomes opposition — especially if it does so ruthlessly — is called a “juggernaut.”