ruination

noun

ˌrü-ə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce ruination (audio)
Definition of ruinationnext
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

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 The only thing that would satisfy the gremlin in me is the ruination of my freedom. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026 And to think that many thought MLB Free Agency in 1976 was the ruination of the sport. — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026 Advertisement What’s perhaps most critical around the plague is its embodiment of feelings of destruction and ruination. — Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025 Wedding fundraising pages are not invoices that require payment under threat of credit ruination. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ruination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruination
  1. downfall
  2. destruction
  3. devastation
  4. havoc
  5. extinction
  6. loss
  7. demolition
Noun
  • Madigan’s downfall began with women angered by his handling of #MeToo incidents involving his campaign and government staff in 2017 and 2018.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • How To Air Dry Jeans Properly One of the downfalls that comes with air drying jeans is ending up with a pair that feels stiff or scratchy.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of downfall
Noun
  • Today on the show, Planet Money goes inside the destruction lab to see that high octane experimentation in action and to learn about how the insurance industry has been quietly shaping the world around us for over a century.
    — Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The use of new production technologies also requires a degree of creative destruction that Beijing’s own industrial policy interventions have inhibited.
    — Oliver Melton, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of destruction
Noun
  • The devastation wreaked on the Republican Party last week was simply astounding, with their candidates losing in just about every place and every spot up and down ballot.
    — Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • And as Japan rebuilds from both wartime devastation and from Godzilla’s rampage through various cities, including Tokyo, a new threat arrives from outer space—and this one can fly.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of devastation
Noun
  • Last year, business leaders reached out to the mayor’s team to express their fears that the City Council’s plan to raise the minimum wage for hotel and airport workers to $30 per hour would wreak financial havoc on the city’s hospitality industry.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the war has wreaked global havoc with no end in sight.
    — S. C. M. Paine, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • In the early 19th century, California’s sea otters were hunted to the brink of extinction, the unparalleled softness and value of their fur drawing fur trappers all the way from Russia into California.
    — Joseph Ogilvy, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The timing has raised questions about whether the environmental changes following that extinction helped the fungus’s ancestors thrive.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of extinction
Noun
  • Kansas defensive end Leroy Harris III’s assignment was to rush the passer on the most pivotal play of the Jayhawks’ 33-32 loss to UCF on Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Not all signal losses are the same Most consumer drones rely on several communication and navigation systems working together.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of loss
Noun
  • Pan Am’s Miami headquarters first opened in 1964, sat empty for 15 years, and was slated for demolition before PS restored it.
    — Lauren Harano, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
  • According to The Real Deal, demolition permits have been sought for the sites, and the city has approved the removal of several structures, including homes and guesthouses.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of demolition

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Cite this Entry

“Ruination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruination. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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