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
But Whitney’s own ruinous investments and personal demons set him on a collision course with his brother George, the gatekeeper to J.P. Morgan, who is the key to preventing the crash.
—
Leia Mendoza, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
And so one of Rothstein’s protégés, Dutch Schultz—who, thanks to the layoff networks, had access to ready cash—began lending to the Harlem numbers bankers, at ruinous rates.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Her ruinous policies are the cause of the 12 percent increase in electric rates, not MAGA voters.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Refusing until last summer to acknowledge the toll time inevitably extracts inflicted ruinous paralysis on the Democrats.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 July 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.
Leia Mendoza, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
And so one of Rothstein’s protégés, Dutch Schultz—who, thanks to the layoff networks, had access to ready cash—began lending to the Harlem numbers bankers, at ruinous rates.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Her ruinous policies are the cause of the 12 percent increase in electric rates, not MAGA voters.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Refusing until last summer to acknowledge the toll time inevitably extracts inflicted ruinous paralysis on the Democrats.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 July 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 20 Aug. 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