1
as in to bankrupt
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
after he was ruined by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the industrialist was forced to sell his mansion and start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to devastate
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a huge fire that ruined an entire city block
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
a vicious bombardment that left the building in ruins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wreck
ruins plural
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts
the family faces ruin if the chief breadwinner doesn't find another job very soon
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4
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
the politician's eventual ruin would be a sexual indiscretion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruin
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
Without a job, Chester worries her summer will be ruined.
—
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
Mussolini had a villa built, reduced like almost everything else to a pile of ruins.
—
Marzio G. Mian,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
In practice, organic liquids like crude oil ruined everything.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
18 June 2026
Without a job, Chester worries her summer will be ruined.
—
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Noun
Like photos, books and magazines may also stick and ruin from the heat and humidity.
—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
17 June 2026
Mussolini had a villa built, reduced like almost everything else to a pile of ruins.
—
Marzio G. Mian,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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The ruling was a victory for states, which said such claims could bankrupt them.
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Most manufacturers were bankrupted by equipment failures and financial challenges, making the 1990s a tough time for wind power’s pioneers.
Verb
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Both victims died in separate mobile homes that were destroyed about two to three miles apart, Bullard said.
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If Iran’s atomic weapons infrastructure was destroyed in this war, funneling hundreds of billions into the country can’t be used to rebuild it.
Verb
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For months, Uber and lawyers from across the state poured tens of millions into dueling ballot measures that threatened to devastate the profits of whichever side lost.
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The jury in the federal trial of the man accused of starting the deadly blaze that devastated the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles last year is deadlocked after two days of deliberations, the court said Thursday.
Noun
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David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist, told the the Washington Post he was arrested on June 19 and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property.
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This came on the heels of another round of tornadoes just four days earlier that leveled buildings and caused widespread destruction across the region.
Noun
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Preservation advocates warn that selling wreck relics to private collectors risks turning a maritime grave into a billionaire trophy hunt, even as Titanic memorabilia command multimillion-dollar bids worldwide.
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Trans-Atlantic dispute over the artifacts RMS Titanic wants to auction some of the first artifacts salvaged from the wreck.
Noun
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Leadership Starts With Conviction In SpaceX's early years, three consecutive rocket failures and the near-bankruptcy by late 2008 would have dampened the spirits of most leaders and their teams.
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Just when there are emotional moments of sincerity about healthcare denials causing bankruptcy and even death, the tone shifts with a joke about fan girls sending Mangione their underwear.
Noun
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Bunting’s downfall in Toronto was the out-of-control rambunctiousness that led to far too many penalties.
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The steep drop in the housing market and the resulting downfall of the mortgage industry led to a credit crisis that brought the economy into a recession.
Verb
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The tree’s limbs were lopped off in the wake of January 2025’s Eaton fire, which ravaged Altadena and part of Pasadena, but all these months after the fire, there’s new growth on the tree.
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Matthew Tkachuk, who has been a franchise-altering player since Florida acquired him in July 2022, has already won twice with the Panthers in 2024 and 2025 before injuries ravaged Florida’s 2025-26 season.
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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