juggernaut
English · Thesaurus
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juggernaut¹
- /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ə.nɔːt/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ɚ.nɔt/ US
- /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ɚ.nɑt/
- /ˈd͡ʒʌɡ.ə.nɔːt/ Australia
Where it comes from
Borrowed in the 17th century into British English in India, either through Hindustani جَگَنَّاتھ (jagannāth) / जगन्नाथ (jagannāth) or directly from Odia ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ (jagannātha), ultimately from Sanskrit ज॒ग॒न्ना॒थ (jagannāthá, “lord of universe”) (Jagannatha), a title for the Hindu deity Vishnu's avatar Krishna. The sense comes from witnessing the Rath Yatra (chariot parade) at Puri, Odisha, a huge annual procession which features a wagon of the idol of Jagannath; pulled with ropes by hundreds of devotees, the wagon develops considerable momentum and becomes unstoppable. The r was not originally pronounced: for non-rhotic dialects of British English, the spelling with -er- accurately suggests the Hindi-Urdu pronunciation of the second vowel (a schwa ə); compare e.g. gorm. The spelling of the ending was influenced by the suffix -naut (“traveller, voyager”). Doublet of Jagannath.
noun juggernauts
- A literal or metaphorical force or object regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path. […] poor Johnny Tetterby staggering under his Moloch of an infant, the Juggernaut that crushes all his enjoyments.
- A large, cumbersome truck or lorry, especially an articulated lorry. Silently and gracefully I free-wheeled across the path of three juggernauts, [...] glided across the hard shoulder and came to rest halfway up a grass bank.
- An institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed.
Juggernaut²
Where it comes from
See juggernaut.
proper noun Jaganaut · Jagarynat · Jagganaut · Jaggernaut · Jagnaut · Juggurnaut
- Jagannath, the Hindu deity Vishnu's avatar Krishna. '...for this girl, this child, the native of a Christian Land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut - this girl is - a liar!'
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: jagannatha, jagannath, jagganath, heavyweight, heavy, giant, truck, lorry, colossus, freight train, behemoth, jumbo, mack truck, elephant, hulk, mastodon
Translations
Every language
noun literal or metaphorical force or object regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path
| Español | monstruo, gigante |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 圧倒的な力 attōteki na chikara |
| Français | rouleau compresseur |
| Italiano | macchina da guerra |
| Ελληνικά | οδοστρωτήρας odostrotíras |
| Русский | джаггерна́ут džaggernáut |
| العربية | طَاغُوت ṭāḡūt, جِبْت jibt |
noun large, cumbersome truck or lorry
| 日本語 | 超大型トレーラートラック |
|---|---|
| Français | poids lourd |
| Deutsch | Lastkraftwagen, Monstertruck |
| Русский | грузови́к gruzovík |
noun institution that incites destructive devotion or to which people are carelessly sacrificed
| Deutsch | Moloch |
|---|
Talk about this word "juggernaut." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/juggernaut. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. juggernaut. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/juggernaut "juggernaut." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/juggernaut.Cite this
@misc{juggernaut_2026,
title = {juggernaut},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/juggernaut},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
