1
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
neglect and indifference have proved to be the ruination of more than one marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
although this is a setback, it isn't complete ruination for the company
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruination
Charged with gun possession and bribing a witness, Mr. Combs stood trial for seven weeks in early 2001, facing the possibility of 15 years in prison — and, possibly, the ruination of his career.
—
Ben Sisario, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The sense of ruination experienced by the organizers of those art spaces was something familiar to Quraiqi, who wrote on his Instagram this year that Israeli forces had destroyed his studio.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Read: The mysterious, meteoric rise of Shein In the past several years, cultural awareness has grown about the reality of the fast-fashion business model, which relies on paying factory workers shockingly low wages and takes a multifaceted approach to furthering the ruination of the planet.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2025
The one-time ingenue made gallows humor out of her ruination, glorying in the cracks and croaks of her voice.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruination
Ben Sisario, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
The sense of ruination experienced by the organizers of those art spaces was something familiar to Quraiqi, who wrote on his Instagram this year that Israeli forces had destroyed his studio.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Read: The mysterious, meteoric rise of Shein In the past several years, cultural awareness has grown about the reality of the fast-fashion business model, which relies on paying factory workers shockingly low wages and takes a multifaceted approach to furthering the ruination of the planet.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2025
The one-time ingenue made gallows humor out of her ruination, glorying in the cracks and croaks of her voice.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruination
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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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
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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
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After constant requests during two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military finally brings our correspondent into the territory to see the devastation in post-war northern Gaza firsthand.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
-
In 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, park officials made the decision to close Six Flags New Orleans permanently.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Texas Tech started slow in Manhattan, but the dam eventually broke due to Tech’s havoc-wreaking defense.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The real reason is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible, or at least that’s what we’re given to believe from the way the hostess swans about while deftly manipulating dozens of puppet strings simultaneously.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Sam Altman, of OpenAI, has claimed that generative AI could bring about the end of human civilization, and that AI poses a risk of extinction on a par with nuclear warfare and global pandemics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
And the global population of whales declined precipitously to the point of near extinction.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013 and has clung to power despite an apparently decisive loss in the 2024 presidential election.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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The former Indianapolis Colts owner didn’t want anyone to miss his message following the Colts’ catastrophic end-of-season collapse that was punctuated by a 26-11 loss to the 3-14 Jaguars.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Asked on Sunday why more Americans feel this way about Democrats than the president -- even amidst the East Wing demolitions or a White House Halloween party hosted during the shutdown -- Martin suggested Republicans were in hotter water and disapproved of by Americans more.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
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Co-anchor Michael Che then addressed Trump proudly announcing the remodeling of a White House bathroom, on top of his demolition of the East Wing, which had stood for 123 years.—
William Vaillancourt,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruination. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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