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
Then, in an instant, the evening appeared to turn into something potentially ruinous.
—
Dennis Lin, New York Times, 8 May 2025
The unlikely but true tale of a multimillion dollar, inside job heist, the 2016 film is a crazy cinematic ride with a who’s who of A-list funny folk and moments hilariously dumb and graceful, romantic and ruinous.
—Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 10 June 2025
The warnings from The Planetary Society, which have been echoed by many naysayers to Trump’s new direction, say the agency is choosing a ruinous path.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
That’s great for them but ruinous for competitive balance at home; since the turn of the millennium, Lincoln have failed to win Gibraltar’s top league only twice.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
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.
Dennis Lin, New York Times, 8 May 2025
The unlikely but true tale of a multimillion dollar, inside job heist, the 2016 film is a crazy cinematic ride with a who’s who of A-list funny folk and moments hilariously dumb and graceful, romantic and ruinous.
—Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 10 June 2025
The warnings from The Planetary Society, which have been echoed by many naysayers to Trump’s new direction, say the agency is choosing a ruinous path.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
That’s great for them but ruinous for competitive balance at home; since the turn of the millennium, Lincoln have failed to win Gibraltar’s top league only twice.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 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 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ruinous
adjective
ru·in·ous
ˈrü-ə-nəs 
: causing or tending to cause ruin : destructive
ruinously
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share