Juggernaut
- (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.
Origin of Juggernaut
Related Words
barragecavalcadecampaignsteamrollerblitzdriveenterpriseexpeditionodysseypilgrimagejunketExamples from the Web for juggernaut
Contemporary Examples
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 WallWilliam O’Connor
November 9, 2014
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 OwnRobert Silverman
August 31, 2014
That is what my book is about: How do you get the strength to jump off the juggernaut of a relationship?
The juggernaut franchise that has made obscene amounts of money may have finally reached the point of diminishing returns.
‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ Review: The Juggernaut Franchise Might Be Drying UpAlec Kubas-Meyer
November 12, 2013
In short, if your online community occupies a specific niche, joining the Facebook juggernaut can hamper your growth.
Historical Examples
Beneath the car of this Juggernaut we must flout our judgments and crush our affections.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
What, after all, was the old god of the river to the Juggernaut of the city?
A Son of HagarSir Hall Caine
And that car of Juggernaut, and drowning their poor little babies!
A Little Girl in Old SalemAmanda Minnie Douglas
"Juggernaut," another word of Paklin's, flashed across his mind.
Virgin SoilIvan S. Turgenev
What a car of juggernaut to roll over one, small, masterless terrier!
Greyfriars BobbyEleanor Atkinson
juggernaut
- 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
Juggernaut
- 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
Word Origin and History for juggernaut
n.
1630s, "huge wagon bearing an image of the god Krishna," especially that at the town of Puri, drawn annually in procession in which (apocryphally) devotees allowed themselves to be crushed under its wheels in sacrifice. Altered from Jaggernaut, a title of Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu), from Hindi Jagannath, literally "lord of the world," from Sanskrit jagat "world" (literally "moving," present participle of *jagati "he goes," from PIE *gwa- "to go, come" (see come (v.)) + natha-s "lord, master," from nathate "he helps, protects," from PIE *na- "to help." The first European description of the festival is by Friar Odoric (c.1321). Figurative sense of "anything that demands blind devotion or merciless sacrifice" is from 1854.