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

Instead of fighting with Whitney, Lindsay has a talk with Yvonne about how Lindsay ruined Yvonne’s wedding by making it all about her. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 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

The modern Miami metropolis was built over the ruins of an earlier civilization. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

The engineer flew in from Tampa to try and find her mother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew in the ruins of their nine-story apartment building, sleeping on the ground since arriving two nights ago. — Isa Soares, CNN Money, 1 July 2026