ruinous

adjective

ru·​in·​ous ˈrü-ə-nəs How to pronounce ruinous (audio)
1
2
: causing or tending to cause ruin
ruinously adverb
ruinousness noun

Examples of ruinous in a Sentence

The house has fallen into a ruinous state. a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His policy prescriptions are ruinous. Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025 The radiation effects have been ruinous, according to US government reports cited by the Atomic Heritage Foundation, which said the testing was responsible for 55% of cancers on some of the islands’ northern atolls. Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025 There’s nothing ruinous about October’s viewership numbers. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2025 Between Helm’s clouds is a ruinous, wrathful force where everything is cunted. Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ruinous

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ruinous was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruinous. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

ruinous

adjective
ru·​in·​ous ˈrü-ə-nəs How to pronounce ruinous (audio)
: causing or tending to cause ruin : destructive
ruinously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ruinous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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