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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ruination
By now, my colleagues have grown accustomed to my gleeful ruination of the workplace.
—
Ariel Dumas, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
Wedding fundraising pages are not invoices that require payment under threat of credit ruination.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025
Fetterman and McCormick set for high-stakes Pennsylvania forum MAJOR HEADLINES
‘DAMAGING DECISION’ – Trump says tariff ruling could lead to 'economic ruination' of US.
—FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ruination
Ariel Dumas, New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2025
Wedding fundraising pages are not invoices that require payment under threat of credit ruination.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025
Fetterman and McCormick set for high-stakes Pennsylvania forum MAJOR HEADLINES
‘DAMAGING DECISION’ – Trump says tariff ruling could lead to 'economic ruination' of US.
—FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for ruination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruination
Noun
-
For some in the administration, the downfall of Cuba’s communist regime would be like a 5-year-old waking up to a mountain of presents on Christmas morning.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Now, Mandelson’s own proximity to the filthy rich appears to have precipitated his final downfall.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In June 2025, EOS demonstrated the destruction of a tank using a Rodeur 330 fitted with an inert warhead, controlled via FPV.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
-
While navigating Westport by car or on foot is chaotic right now, the goal is to prevent destruction in the future.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After the devastation of World War II, Europe was not searching for novelty.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Nearly six years after Iger’s seismic move – which stunned the media and business worlds and came just prior to the devastation of Covid and when the exec was well shy of his 70th birthday – his motivations to leave remain largely a mystery.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The weather was already causing havoc in the air — with about 1,000 flight disruptions at CLT airport — and on the ground, with State Highway Patrol handling over 175 wrecks so far.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In any case, the Chiefs’ self-evaluation this offseason is sure to focus on how the team can create more havoc — while also getting back to the production of past seasons when creating big plays was more the norm.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The initiative is needed because nearly half of the world's species could face extinction by 2050, according to projections cited by Colossal and the UAE.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
-
There were participants in our cohort who remained rightfully critical of our utopian aims, our spectrum of privilege, and our position as cultural workers living through global extinction, famine, corruption, and violence in all its forms.—
Catherine Taft,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fire in all its forms, literal and figurative and symbolic—the consuming ardor of desire, the irreversible incinerations of loss, the flaming swords of Genesis—is the central subject of Kelly Hoffer’s second collection Fire Series.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Chickens form friendships and mourn the loss of flock mates.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bronze doors and concrete walls with remarkably few windows looked ancient, and the building more closely resembled a student dormitory awaiting demolition than an institution where precious cultural assets from around the world were collected and stored.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The mansion’s fate became almost certain when the property owner, the family living next door, requested a demolition permit from the city of Miami Beach.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruination. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
