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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ruin
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025
Even if the home had not had previous flooding, the rain bomb almost certainly would have ruined it.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
In the mid-to-late ’70s, when New York was sunk into the torpor of potential economic ruin, the city was fabled in another way.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
The pests can ruin the look of those leaves in short order.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025
Even if the home had not had previous flooding, the rain bomb almost certainly would have ruined it.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
Police in northern Peru arrested two groups accused of illegally bulldozing and building a house at an archaeological park with 500-year-old ruins.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
In the mid-to-late ’70s, when New York was sunk into the torpor of potential economic ruin, the city was fabled in another way.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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Nathan Fielder’s series The Rehearsal — his coping mechanism/social experiment/valiant attempt to bankrupt David Zaslav — premiered its second, six-episode season on April 20.—
Anne Victoria Clark,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Of course, Greg/Gary is an honorable guy who would never bankrupt Belinda to teach her a lesson about greed and blackmail.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
To allow these courts to be destroyed to make pickleball courts is just wrong.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2025
-
Are the Fantastic Four escaping their universe after the planet-devouring villain Galactus destroys their world?—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Prince Harry just lost his a legal appeal for his security detailing in the U.K. and the decision devastated him.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
2 May 2025
-
Clyde has said that he’ll be devastated to leave his playoff booth duties behind, and local Knicks supporters who hang on his every word for six months each year are equally bummed at the prospect.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
2 May 2025
Noun
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Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions.—
ABC NEWS,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2025
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From hurricanes to wildfires, the U.S. has endured 403 billion-dollar climate and weather disasters since 1980—leaving behind a trail of destruction that’s cost the country more than $2.9 trillion.—
Mindy Lubber,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Arenas' family shared a statement from one of the people who helped him out of the car after the wreck.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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But too much money, too much time wrecks creativity.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Big Lots has secured yet another partner in its comeback campaign, less than a year after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announcing plans to close hundreds of stores.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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Helios and Matheson bought a majority stake in the company in 2017, and the service lowered its price to $9.95 a month, which gradually drove the company to bankruptcy.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Ankara the Muslim Brotherhood government under Mohamed Morsi in Egypt before its downfall in 2014.—
Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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So what’s contributing to Ethereum’s downfall and what might lie ahead for the pioneering blockchain platform?—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Four months ago, in the weeks after the devastating wildfires that ravaged Pacific Palisades, Roberts received a message from a friend involved with the Palisades Charter High School baseball team, inviting him to speak at one of their preseason practices.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Other crags—like Elephant Knob in the Sierras, and parts of Cochiti Mesa, New Mexico—are permanently unclimbable, even decades after the fires ravaged the area.—
Hannah Provost,
Outside Online,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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