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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ruin
Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
This wouldn’t be the first time protesters have ruined a Bezos event.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Markets are soaring even as $58 billion in energy assets lie in ruins.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
Trust me, nothing ruins your day more than a painful sunburn or seeing your beautiful landscape suddenly become overrun by weeds.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
This wouldn’t be the first time protesters have ruined a Bezos event.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Her family stays on beside the ruins, and the film charts how occupation and its aftermath become the unremarkable background of her adolescence.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Markets are soaring even as $58 billion in energy assets lie in ruins.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
-
Yet much of the region’s decline was caused by Russian or pro-Russian oligarchs who had bought up factories, bankrupted them to eliminate competition, and imposed brutal conditions on workers.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The 2020s have been a decade of compounding American institutional failure — a pandemic, political rupture, an affordability crisis, student loan servicers treated as adversaries, a healthcare system that bankrupts the sick, and a growing sense that the system is not working as advertised.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thankfully, the Dark Sky movement is growing as more people become aware of the issue and learn about simple and cost-effective ways that can be embraced to reverse the course of destroying our night skies.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Radioactive clouds spread, causing panic as far away as Germany and Britain; millions of litres of milk were dumped; livestock was destroyed or banned from sale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Celeste’s family was overwhelmed and devastated to hear details of the allegations against d4vd during his arraignment on Monday, their attorney, Patrick Steinfeld, told CNN.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The county hired a big-shot San Francisco law firm to fight against its own hardworking people whose lives were devastated two years ago.—
Kristine Alessio,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The incident prompted Christian leaders from around the world — including Pope Leo XIV — to urge Israel to stop its destruction of holy sites and civilian lives in Gaza and the West Bank.—
April 20,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
May the world know that Americans are ashamed and suffering and locked into despair and destruction, which now affects the world.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The researchers did not have archaeological documentation of most of the wrecks before the project.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Officials worked with Mi’kmaw archaeological technicians alongside both underwater and terrestrial archaeologists to excavate and document the wreck, adapting their methods to Sable Island's shifting sands.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bed Bath & Beyond closed its 360 brick-and-mortar locations in 2023 after filing for bankruptcy.—
Samantha Gowen,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
He was accused of embezzling client funds for his own personal spending; he was sued by his former law firm partners; and his law firm was facing bankruptcy.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Swalwell’s downfall was particularly swift; his 16-year political career imploded over a single weekend.—
Robert Abitbol,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Swalwell’s downfall might even show that, if old-school journalism can still mete out consequences for bad behavior, new media can sometimes accelerate this process, rather than dilute it.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, Monday’s earthquake and tsunami warning were a reminder to the quake-prone area of the March 2011 disaster that ravaged large swaths of the northern coast, triggering a nuclear crisis in Fukushima.—
Mari Yamaguchi,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The Thunder dug in their heels through two Game 7s, a title run and a season of ravaging injury luck.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
