Synonyms of ruin

ruin 1 of 2

verb

ˈrü-ən 

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

• bankrupt
• break
• bust
• reduce
• impoverish
• pauperize
• wipe out
• clean (out)
• beggar
• straiten

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enrich
• richen

2

as in to destroy

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroy
• ravage
• devastate
• scourge
• wreck
• plunder
• overwhelm
• obliterate
• sack
• despoil
• shatter
• desolate
• eradicate
• pillage
• wipe out
• waste
• strip
• loot
• annihilate
• decimate
• vaporize
• expunge
• extirpate
• demolish
• extinguish
• harry
• total
• smash
• wrack
• overthrow
• mow
• overpower
• foray
• raze
• maraud
• nuke
• overrun
• rub out
• crush

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• recover
• redeem
• rehabilitate
• fix
• repair
• patch
• recondition
• mend
• revamp

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

• destroy
• devastate
• demolish
• wreck
• shatter
• smash
• damage
• overcome
• waste
• erode
• mar
• annihilate
• decimate
• desolate
• ravage
• extinguish
• cripple
• vaporize
• tear down
• raze
• total
• pulverize
• cream
• kill
• pull down
• wrack
• spoil
• defeat
• rub out
• break
• crush
• dismantle
• injure
• best
• remove
• nuke
• impair
• harm
• blast
• do in
• subdue
• disintegrate
• deteriorate
• conquer
• disfigure
• prevail (over)
• lick
• win (against)
• vitiate
• triumph (over)
• rout
• obliterate
• dissolve
• eradicate
• surmount
• master
• mutilate
• trim
• deface
• havoc
• undo
• sweep (away)
• dynamite
• scotch
• blow up
• whip
• slaughter
• assassinate
• wear (away)
• mangle
• thrash
• sack
• despoil
• beat
• wipe out
• plunder
• unmake
• overbear
• wash out
• scour
• exterminate
• clobber
• take down
• trample
• fell
• expunge
• extirpate
• disassemble
• blot out
• gut
• efface
• liquidate
• cut down
• trounce
• murder
• loot
• slay
• pillage
• dilapidate
• massacre
• overmatch
• kill off
• vandalize
• snuff (out)
• drub
• stamp (out)
• wallop
• take out
• execute
• trash
• zap
• unbuild
• butcher
• root (out)
• mow (down)
• skunk
• dispatch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• build
• construct
• set up
• raise
• create
• repair
• fix
• erect
• put up
• rear
• patch
• make
• produce
• mend
• protect
• form
• invent
• shape
• manufacture
• save
• found
• establish
• constitute
• preserve
• forge
• assemble
• mold
• organize
• revamp
• bring about
• fashion
• institute
• restore
• frame
• fabricate
• recondition
• rebuild
• conserve
• doctor
• reconstruct
• father
• renovate
• remodel

ruin

2 of 2

noun

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

• destruction
• devastation
• havoc
• loss
• extinction
• demolition
• extermination
• ruination
• annihilation
• obliteration
• wastage
• decimation
• wreckage
• collapse
• demolishment
• desolation
• mincemeat
• disintegration
• slaughter
• breakup
• depredation
• dissolution
• killing
• massacre
• despoilment
• execution
• despoliation
• assassination
• eradication
• dismantlement
• effacement

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• construction
• erection
• saving
• raising
• rescue
• salvation
• salvage
• protection
• preservation
• conservation
• restoration
• reclamation
• reconstruction
• remodeling
• renovation
• regeneracy
• re-creation
• refurbishment

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

• wreck
• wreckage
• remains
• ashes
• rubble
• remnant
• detritus
• debris
• residue
• flotsam
• refuse
• dust
• garbage
• leavings
• junk
• waste
• litter
• scrap
• trash
• rubbish
• chaff
• jetsam
• dross
• deadwood
• riffraff

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

• bankruptcy
• failure
• insolvency
• Chapter 11

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

• downfall
• destruction
• ruination
• undoing
• curse
• kiss of death
• death
• bane
• torment
• tragic flaw
• Achilles' heel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ruin

Verb

But the neighboring 171-feet Shelborne By Proper hotel says the new tower will cast a shadow over its pool, ruining the experience for guests at the luxury hotel. — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026

Getting pickpocketed can ruin an entire trip, so pick your bag wisely for destinations known for petty theft, like touristy parts of European cities with bustling centers and markets. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026

Noun

So the principal architect Krishnan Varma didn’t clear the rubble from the ruin. — New Atlas, 3 July 2026

In its vision of a desolate America ruled by tyranny and militia, the United States becomes, in the eyes of those who live in its pre-industrial ruins, an idealized symbol of better times. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026