1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a ruinous windstorm destroyed the crops
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruinous
The unlikely but true tale of a multimillion dollar, inside job heist, the 2016 film is a crazy cinematic ride with a who’s who of A-list funny folk and moments hilariously dumb and graceful, romantic and ruinous.
—
Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 10 June 2025
The warnings from The Planetary Society, which have been echoed by many naysayers to Trump’s new direction, say the agency is choosing a ruinous path.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
That’s great for them but ruinous for competitive balance at home; since the turn of the millennium, Lincoln have failed to win Gibraltar’s top league only twice.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Making these obligations even more ruinous, patient advocates say, is that many may be based on inaccurate health care bills.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 10 June 2025
The warnings from The Planetary Society, which have been echoed by many naysayers to Trump’s new direction, say the agency is choosing a ruinous path.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
That’s great for them but ruinous for competitive balance at home; since the turn of the millennium, Lincoln have failed to win Gibraltar’s top league only twice.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 May 2025
Making these obligations even more ruinous, patient advocates say, is that many may be based on inaccurate health care bills.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruinous
Adjective
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And yes, it must also be said that domestic and feral cats have been disastrous to the world's biodiversity, having contributed to the extinction of 40 bird and 21 mammal species – 26% of the extinctions in these groups – since the 1600s.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 July 2025
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Hunt was the site of particularly disastrous flooding early in the morning on July 4, with officials saying the river swelled more than 20 feet in less than an hour and ultimately killed at least 103 people countywide, including dozens of children at a riverside summer camp called Camp Mystic.—
July 13,
CBS News,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Historically, the most devastating result from tariffs came from the sweeping Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act that began to wend its way through Congress in 1929, triggering the infamous stock market crash.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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The number of missing persons stands at 101 more than one week after the devastating flooding that struck Texas.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Priya allegedly injected her business partner with a fatal overdose of sedatives, Joseph said.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
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Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl in Waterbury.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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High-ranking German officials recognized what many contemporaries refused to see: that passive compliance with destructive systems was itself a moral choice.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
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From the Miami Surfside condo collapse to the destructive fires in Maui and Los Angeles and countless floods and tornadoes, these days the steady drumbeat of disasters has been relentless, Hymel said.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
19 July 2025
Adjective
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Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
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Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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