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: 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
The ceasefire marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced much of Gaza to rubble, destabilized the Middle East, and left dozens of hostages, living and dead, in the territory.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
His one sack was effective, not ruinous.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
There is already palpable anger at Hezbollah for dragging the country into a ruinous war that has killed thousands.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
Way thinks that a more plausible suspect in Venus’ demise is a form of ruinous volcanism.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
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Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
His one sack was effective, not ruinous.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
There is already palpable anger at Hezbollah for dragging the country into a ruinous war that has killed thousands.
—Bilal Y. Saab, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
Way thinks that a more plausible suspect in Venus’ demise is a form of ruinous volcanism.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruinous. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ruinous
adjective
ru·in·ous
ˈrü-ə-nəs 
: causing or tending to cause ruin : destructive
ruinously
adverb
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