ruinous

adjective

ru·​in·​ous ˈrü-ə-nəs How to pronounce ruinous (audio)
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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
But Trump’s jokes can be similarly, if more subtly, ruinous. Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024 Boeing has been dealing with one problem after another — ranging from embarrassing to tragic and all financially ruinous — for more than five years. Chris Isidore, CNN, 19 Oct. 2024 Despite the ruinous results, Lizzie also can’t seem to serve her own best interests, controlled by own self-loathing. Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024 As the aftermath of the hurricane's ruinous and deadly route across the Southeast illustrates, the alarming lack of flood insurance coverage among an overwhelming majority of people impacted serves as a cautionary tale for the rest of us, experts say. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ruinous 

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ruinous was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ruinous

Cite this Entry

“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruinous. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

ruinous

adjective
ru·​in·​ous ˈrü-ə-nəs How to pronounce ruinous (audio)
: causing or tending to cause ruin : destructive
ruinously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ruinous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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