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
There were also mischievous chants in praise of Dejphon Chansiri, the Thai businessman whose ruinous decade-long reign at Hillsborough ended in rancour and then administration last October.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Now, in a ruinous turnaround, the city has decided that, when updating community plans, adequate infrastructure doesn’t matter anymore.
—Nico Calavita, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
The darker strands of the young Tennyson’s existence—madness, spurned love, ruinous genes, insolvency—would become the themes of a later poem that Holmes regards as pivotal.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Arthur inherited his father’s alcoholism and propensity for violence, with such ruinous results that he was eventually institutionalized as well.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
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.
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Now, in a ruinous turnaround, the city has decided that, when updating community plans, adequate infrastructure doesn’t matter anymore.
—Nico Calavita, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
The darker strands of the young Tennyson’s existence—madness, spurned love, ruinous genes, insolvency—would become the themes of a later poem that Holmes regards as pivotal.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Arthur inherited his father’s alcoholism and propensity for violence, with such ruinous results that he was eventually institutionalized as well.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruinous. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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
