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
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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
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Backwards compatibility isn't, and doesn't, ruin anything.
—PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
His latest centers around the city of Naples and the nearby ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
In the area of the bridge ruins, a number of other artifacts were also uncovered.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Backwards compatibility isn't, and doesn't, ruin anything.
—PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
The care facility was found in the ruins of the ancient city of Hippos near the Sea of Galilee.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025
His latest centers around the city of Naples and the nearby ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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See video … WATCH TOM HOMAN – With a secure border, the US is bankrupting cartels.—
,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Multiple rocket explosions nearly bankrupted the company.—
Joel Shulman,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The disaster is remembered not just for its winds, but for the crushing surge of water that devastated rural Louisiana parishes and tore through the heart of New Orleans.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The children were among the 27 campers and counselors who died at the Christian all-girls’ camp during the flooding that caused the Guadalupe River to rise to historic levels, devastating the Texas Hill Country.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Critical wildlife habitat may be put at risk for alteration or wholesale destruction.—
Ryan Gellert,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But tenants have little legal footing to stand on in combating that destruction.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Four people — Amanda Benson, a commercial pilot; Kameilia Chavez, a flight nurse; Nicholas Mancuso, a flight paramedic; and Jeffrey Tuning, a commercial pilot — were killed in the wreck.—
Sasha Hupka,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Except Steven gets in a car wreck in episode two of season three, and trauma slams Belly and Jeremiah back together.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Was the specter of Cracker Barrel’s collapse and bankruptcy a mere fancy?—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The real hoax is that the Democrats are now using these victims to deflect from their party's spectacular downfall.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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Spirit’s downfall is partly the result of higher interest rates.—
Frank Holmes,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That’s what happened to 64-year-old retired nurse Donna Niebauer when, over the course of one terrifying night, Hurricane Helene ravaged her peaceful mountain community of Burnsville, North Carolina and cut off power for more than two months.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Yes, the Lions were bounced from the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but to be fair, they were absolutely ravaged by injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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