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
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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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ruin
Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Between not having full access to your scalp and ruining the look of your style, some folks prefer to skip cleansing altogether.
—Tatayana Yomary, Essence, 19 May 2025
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 May 2025
The question of whether the studio can still produce a solo RPG experience on the level of the false god dethronement of Morrowind or the D.C. ruin excavation of Fallout 3 remains open.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
But most important for me, this episode resolved just how Ellie had left it with Joel before Abby ruined everything.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Between not having full access to your scalp and ruining the look of your style, some folks prefer to skip cleansing altogether.
—Tatayana Yomary, Essence, 19 May 2025
Noun
Icon will release the film in the UK and Ireland
Written by Johnson and Austin Collings, Odyssey follows an ambitious real estate agent called Natasha Flynn who lives every day on the verge of total success–or ruin.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 May 2025
The question of whether the studio can still produce a solo RPG experience on the level of the false god dethronement of Morrowind or the D.C. ruin excavation of Fallout 3 remains open.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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But that only attracted sharp bettors, who nearly bankrupted the startup.—
Will Yakowicz,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Judge Clark’s ruling in Missouri v. Jenkins demanded the state pay $1.8 billion, nearly bankrupting Kansas City, and today leaves the 39,000-student school system still struggling to improve academic turnouts for minorities.—
Jeanne Allen,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At least 144 structures were destroyed and parts of Highway 44 were shut down, said St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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In order to retrieve the original source code of the Entity and destroy it, Hunt has to risk life and limb and dive into icy arctic waters to a sunken Soviet submarine teetering 500 feet underwater.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
Independent cinema—arguably the heart of artistic risk and innovation, would be devastated.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Now, some say artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era of creative destruction – but what exactly is being creatively destroyed, and what’s replacing it?—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Nineteen months of war, triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed approximately 1,200 people inside Israel and took some 250 captive, has resulted in over 50,000 Palestinian deaths and the destruction of much of Gaza—including the systems that fed residents during previous wars.—
Juwayriah Wright,
Time,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Lynn was involved in a car accident that left her head and body a wreck.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
20 May 2025
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Authorities got the call around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, May 18, about a wreck involving an ATV in Cumming, according to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The bankruptcy plan was approved within 24 hours, cutting its debt load by about $450 million, the Observer previously reported.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2025
-
There are cigars to be smoked, a headline-making bankruptcy and more tours.—
Dwight Garner,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
Noun
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What looks like productivity is often the downfall of those who refuse to delegate.—
Charles Fallon,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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Since then, numerous videos have been circulating on social media discussing the downfall and debating the comeback of waterbeds.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 May 2025
Verb
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The council also scaled back the number of new hires the mayor proposed for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the wildfire that ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
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Numerous celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Milo Ventimiglia lost their homes in the ravaging blaze.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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