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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Something, such as a belief or institution, that elicits blind and destructive devotion or to which people are ruthlessly sacrificed.
  2. n. An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its path: "It doesn't assume that people need necessarily remain passive when confronted by what appears to be the juggernaut of history” ( Christopher Lehmann-Haupt).
  3. n. Used as a title for the Hindu deity Krishna.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. The popular form of Jagannatha, the name of the famous Hindu idol. See Jagannatha, 2.
  2. n. Figuratively, something, as an idea, custom, fashion, requirement, etc., to which one either devotes himself or is blindly sacrificed.
  3. To crush as if by Juggernaut.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A literal or metaphorical force or object regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path.
  2. n. A large, cumbersome truck or lorry, especially an artic (typically used somewhat disparagingly).
  3. n. An institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed.
  4. n. A massive inexorable force, movement, campaign, or object that crushes whatever in its way.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. One of the names under which Vishnu, in his incarnation as Krishna, is worshiped by the Hindus. See also jagannath.
  2. n. Any large, unstoppable force, power, or popular movement which defeats or destroys any person who gets in its way or attempts to stop it.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
  2. n. a crude idol of Krishna
  3. n. an avatar of Vishnu

Etymologies

  1. Hindi jagannāth, title of Krishna, from Sanskrit jagannāthaḥ, lord of the world : jagat, moving, the world (from earlier present participle of jigāti, he goes; see gwā- in Indo-European roots) + nāthaḥ, lord (from nāthate, he helps, protects). Senses 1 and 2, from the fact that worshipers have thrown themselves under the wheels of a huge car or wagon on which the idol of Krishna was drawn in an annual procession at Puri in east-central India.

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‘juggernaut’ has been looked up 4690 times, loved by 14 people, added to 92 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 19.