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
Billionaire Elon Musk's announcement of the America Party following his split with President Donald Trump over the fiscally ruinous One Big Beautiful Bill reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of American political mechanics.
—
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
And that policy uncertainty turned out to be ruinous for business capital investment.
—Jonathan Haskel, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2025
That’s a sign that the benefits of finding a place to live in a market with a shortage of affordable housing still outweigh the costs of living here — even with the chance of financially ruinous floods.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
Then, in an instant, the evening appeared to turn into something potentially ruinous.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
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Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
And that policy uncertainty turned out to be ruinous for business capital investment.
—Jonathan Haskel, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2025
That’s a sign that the benefits of finding a place to live in a market with a shortage of affordable housing still outweigh the costs of living here — even with the chance of financially ruinous floods.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
Then, in an instant, the evening appeared to turn into something potentially ruinous.
—Dennis Lin, New York Times, 8 May 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 18 Jul. 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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