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
That’s a positive flag for an Eagles offense whose ruinous regression in the run game last season led to former OC Kevin Patullo’s ouster.
—
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Its promise to jump on the AI gravy train, however, has seemingly left its ruinous financials in the rearview mirror.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
The mullahs allowed the ruinous Iran-Iraq war to go on for years, leaving hundreds of thousands dead.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Their efforts soon bore strange and ruinous fruit.
—Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
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Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Its promise to jump on the AI gravy train, however, has seemingly left its ruinous financials in the rearview mirror.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
The mullahs allowed the ruinous Iran-Iraq war to go on for years, leaving hundreds of thousands dead.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Their efforts soon bore strange and ruinous fruit.
—Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 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 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ruinous
adjective
ru·in·ous
ˈrü-ə-nəs 
: causing or tending to cause ruin : destructive
ruinously
adverb
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