juggernaut
noun
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The History of Juggernaut
In the early 14th century, Franciscan missionary Friar Odoric brought to Europe the story of an enormous carriage that carried an image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title was Jagannāth, literally, "lord of the world") through the streets of India in religious processions. Odoric reported that some worshippers deliberately allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels as a sacrifice to Vishnu. That story was likely an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but it spread throughout Europe. The tale caught the imagination of English listeners, and they began using juggernaut to refer to any massive vehicle (such as a steam locomotive) and to any other enormous entity with powerful crushing capabilities. While the word is still used sometimes in British English to refer to a very large, heavy truck (also called a "juggernaut lorry"), juggernaut is more commonly used figuratively for a relentless force, entity, campaign, or movement, as in "a political/economic/cultural juggernaut."
Examples of juggernaut in a Sentence
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Apr. 2025
Originally released in April 1988, Tracy Chapman was a commercial and critical juggernaut.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Daryl and Brett convinced themselves the Guardians had a chance to win the division since the AL Central was devoid of any juggernauts.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
In front of its adoring crowd, the North London club took a huge step towards the Champions League semifinal by beating Spanish juggernaut Real Madrid 3-0 in its quarterfinal first-leg.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for juggernaut
Cite this Entry
“Juggernaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juggernaut. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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