1
as in bankrupted
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroyed
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 wrecked
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruined
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Maria Bamford, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Not a great weekend for Cinderella Has NIL ruined the college game?
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Everything looked incredible… until the teams started playing and ruined it a bit.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Had diphtheria ruined his heart?
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
Depending on how bad the pest ruined plants in a particular latitude, the farmer either made it financially, or borrowed more from the bank to eat during the winter.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
But this war may well have ruined the chances for such diplomatic options for many years to come.
—Matthew Bunn, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
The evening's historic tie almost gets totally ruined For only the seventh time in history, the Oscar vote ended in a tie.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
And Zoe Saldaña generously held a fan for her publicist before two people on her team tried to fan her at the same time, leading her to joke that her hair was going to get ruined.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
Of course, it’s been ruined now because of the Coldplay concert.
—Maria Bamford, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Not a great weekend for Cinderella Has NIL ruined the college game?
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Everything looked incredible… until the teams started playing and ruined it a bit.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Had diphtheria ruined his heart?
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
Depending on how bad the pest ruined plants in a particular latitude, the farmer either made it financially, or borrowed more from the bank to eat during the winter.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
But this war may well have ruined the chances for such diplomatic options for many years to come.
—Matthew Bunn, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
The evening's historic tie almost gets totally ruined For only the seventh time in history, the Oscar vote ended in a tie.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
And Zoe Saldaña generously held a fan for her publicist before two people on her team tried to fan her at the same time, leading her to joke that her hair was going to get ruined.
—Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
Verb
-
Once the world’s leading producer, it was bankrupted by China’s price dumping.—
Markos Kounalakis,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The cases are ongoing, with plaintiffs also filing claims against the trusts of companies bankrupted by the litigation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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First Baptist Dallas will break ground on its new sanctuary on Sunday, June 7, after a massive fire destroyed the church's 134-year-old sanctuary in the summer of 2024, the church announced on Sunday.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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The diplomat also said that the IDF’s targeting of bridges along Lebanon’s Litani River has destroyed vital infrastructure connecting the south to the rest of the country.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The explosion wrecked the cruisers and blew out the windows of nearby buildings.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Roads were closed, and ballfields were wrecked because of the rain.—
Chris Hoffman,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
None of this, of course, is to excuse what Kyle said to Amanda, but an attempt to explain his psychology and illustrate how relationships on these shows are more doomed than Katy Perry’s pop career.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
-
As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger’s doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Sally Ride’s (Stewart) personal journey.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Resident Dave Levy said his basement continues to be ravaged by floods on and off over the past five years.—
Dave Savini,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
One person died after a fire ravaged a Harlem apartment building on Sunday, according to the FDNY.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It was demolished to make way for a 7,000 square-foot gallery that opened in April 2022 at MCASD.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The building appears to have been demolished with twisted metal, bricks and other debris littering the site.—
Moriah Thomas,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Once a team trades draft capital to acquire or retain a star, those picks become sunk costs.—
Spencer Harrison,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Stress and resentment often builds within relationships driven by sunk cost thinking, which increases within the relationship.—
Gabrielle Kassel,
SELF,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan on April 3, 1948, a American initiative to help nations devastated by World World II rebuild.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Look, if this had happened in my third season playing this character, I’d be devastated.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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