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
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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
Don Sweeney, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2025
Here’s how not to ruin your hair color faster and what to do to preserve it instead, according to a stylist.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
What follows may bring redemption or ruin.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
—Don Sweeney, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2025
Here’s how not to ruin your hair color faster and what to do to preserve it instead, according to a stylist.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
Once the skis come off, fill your days with excursions to castle ruins, thermal baths, and snowshoeing trails.
—Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
What follows may bring redemption or ruin.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
-
In 2025, healthcare costs have the potential to bankrupt even millionaires.—
Alex Ohnona,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Fifth Third Bancorp, for example, saw a jump in profit even as its credit losses grew due to exposure to bankrupt subprime auto lender Tricolor.—
Liz Napolitano,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Teddy is a conspiracy theorist who believes Michelle is an alien hellbent on destroying Earth.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Last year’s devastating drought in the Amazon Basin was made 30 times more likely by climate change, according to a report from World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that analyze extreme weather events.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Earlier this year, California’s devastating Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena, a diverse, creative community just north of Pasadena.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Perhaps, curled inside the turbulent virginal atmosphere, Helm dreams of being a storm, has a prophetic vision of destruction, feels a natural calling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
What divides him from Burton is that Hopkins, by a miracle, summoned the clarity to renounce his own destruction.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Russia may be using the wreck of the MS Estonia–a Baltic Sea ferry that sank in 1994–as a training ground and strategic base for covert underwater surveillance operations targeting NATO forces, independent European investigators have said in a new report.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Officials investigating the wreck in Florida said Singh failed English and road sign tests.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And JCPenney shed hundreds of stores in its 2020 bankruptcy and is now down to 650 locations, from 1,100 a decade ago.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Then, in January 2019, a bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York granted relief to CBCS.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The move comes 16 years after the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler that intensified Detroit’s downfall.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Cuomo's downfall and his bid for NYC mayor But questions began to surface about his administration's management of elderly nursing home residents during the pandemic.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For the second year in a row, San Francisco has been ravaged by injuries to key players, especially on the defensive side of the football.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The avalanche ravaged the base camp, which is located at an altitude of 4,900 meters, or 16,070 feet.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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