1
as in to bankrupt
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
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 to devastate
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
1
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
a vicious bombardment that left the building in ruins
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wreck
ruins plural
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
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3
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts
the family faces ruin if the chief breadwinner doesn't find another job very soon
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4
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
the politician's eventual ruin would be a sexual indiscretion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruin
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Backwards compatibility isn't, and doesn't, ruin anything.
—PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
His latest centers around the city of Naples and the nearby ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
In the area of the bridge ruins, a number of other artifacts were also uncovered.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Backwards compatibility isn't, and doesn't, ruin anything.
—PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
The care facility was found in the ruins of the ancient city of Hippos near the Sea of Galilee.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
His latest centers around the city of Naples and the nearby ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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See video … WATCH TOM HOMAN – With a secure border, the US is bankrupting cartels.—
,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Multiple rocket explosions nearly bankrupted the company.—
Joel Shulman,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Some are value-destroying black holes; others are relentless value creators.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The first instance of NATO nations downing drones came last week, when Polish and Dutch fighters destroyed three Russian drones over Poland.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The glossy marketing doesn't include a footnote about trust funds, family support or the ability to absorb year-over-year losses that would devastate most working families.—
Elle Wang,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Critical wildlife habitat may be put at risk for alteration or wholesale destruction.—
Ryan Gellert,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But tenants have little legal footing to stand on in combating that destruction.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Once you get hooked on diving Portugal’s islands, consider making Madeira and Porto Santo’s great wreck diving your next venture .—
Terry Ward,
AFAR Media,
11 Sep. 2025
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Many wrecks remain on the lake bottom waiting to be discovered.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Developers in Miami are pursuing the chance to build something new on the Miami Seaquarium property owned by Miami-Dade County while the parent company of the struggling theme park seeks to raise cash in bankruptcy court.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The real hoax is that the Democrats are now using these victims to deflect from their party's spectacular downfall.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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Spirit’s downfall is partly the result of higher interest rates.—
Frank Holmes,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
On the news, Ukraine was ravaged.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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In November 1996, a fire ravaged the Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.—
Ray Padilla,
The Courier-Journal,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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