1
as in bankrupted
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroyed
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 wrecked
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruined
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
And then to add insult to that heaping helping of figurative injury, the nachos took some collateral damage and were effectively ruined.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
How often has your order arrived cold, or with missing items, or squashed, or spilled, or otherwise ruined?
—Shannon Keating, Time, 8 May 2026
In late 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Administration did agree to fund a $42-million buyout program for about 20 homes ruined by the land movement, but that money remains held up in a long approval process, Mihranian said.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
If a summer afternoon shower ruined your grilling plans, don't let that corn go to waste.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
Also be aware that, according to FEMA, the physical original documents are often ruined by flooding, even in homes that survive damage from wind.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Back in the days before the shootout came long and ruined everything diminished the play’s novelty somewhat, a penalty shot would be big news.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
General Manager David Stearns has ruined the team with his stubborn decisions, trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, and not negotiating with purpose to keep Pete Alonzo, one of the best power hitters of this generation, along with being pretty durable.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
On Friday, a pitchers’ duel was ruined by a circus act of an inning, and the Cardinals beat the Padres 6-0.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026
And then to add insult to that heaping helping of figurative injury, the nachos took some collateral damage and were effectively ruined.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
How often has your order arrived cold, or with missing items, or squashed, or spilled, or otherwise ruined?
—Shannon Keating, Time, 8 May 2026
In late 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Administration did agree to fund a $42-million buyout program for about 20 homes ruined by the land movement, but that money remains held up in a long approval process, Mihranian said.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
If a summer afternoon shower ruined your grilling plans, don't let that corn go to waste.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
Also be aware that, according to FEMA, the physical original documents are often ruined by flooding, even in homes that survive damage from wind.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Back in the days before the shootout came long and ruined everything diminished the play’s novelty somewhat, a penalty shot would be big news.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 1 May 2026
General Manager David Stearns has ruined the team with his stubborn decisions, trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, and not negotiating with purpose to keep Pete Alonzo, one of the best power hitters of this generation, along with being pretty durable.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
Verb
-
Fuel consumption for such a vessel would also likely have bankrupted the Japanese Navy.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
Yet much of the region’s decline was caused by Russian or pro-Russian oligarchs who had bought up factories, bankrupted them to eliminate competition, and imposed brutal conditions on workers.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Santa Rosa Island Fire, which was reported on May 15, has surpassed 10,000 acres and destroyed two historic structures, according to authorities.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
Forecasters said mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed, the weather service said.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Then, in October, the pace picked up; over just a few days, a series of explosions wrecked a police monument in Chicago, the Marin County Hall of Justice, a Queens courthouse, and the Harvard Center for International Affairs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
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However, Liverpool options in that area will be bolstered this summer by the arrival of £60m French defender Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes, while Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni is returning to fitness after a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury wrecked his debut season on Merseyside.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lebedeva, who is astonishing here, feels less like a doomed Chabrol heroine than someone cut out of Antonioni.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
-
That’s the 1935 George and Ira Gershwin classic about a doomed love affair set in Charleston’s Black community of Catfish Row.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The Kings were ravaged by injuries to a number of key players, forcing coach Doug Christie to deploy 35 different starting lineups.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
-
Pursued by legendary lawman Pat Garrett and his ambitious young deputy, Ross takes refuge at a remote homestead ravaged by diphtheria.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
This caused immediate backlash, particularly as the East Wing was recently demolished during ongoing renovation work.—
StyleCaster Editors,
StyleCaster,
16 May 2026
-
There, on the Hudson River waterfront, David Wojnarowicz wrote poems and painted murals alongside Luis Frangella and Mike Bidlo, while Peter Hujar and Dirk Rowntree photographed scenes of impromptu happenings and performances, before the site was demolished in 1984.—
Natalia Torija,
Curbed,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
This mindset, however, can also foster a sunk cost fallacy.—
Kumar Rakesh Ranjan,
The Conversation,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Once a team trades draft capital to acquire or retain a star, those picks become sunk costs.—
Spencer Harrison,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Fuel and fertilizer needed for the rice crop are just the latest necessities to become unaffordable in Rakhine state, which has been devastated by intense fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), one of the many rebel groups in the country.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
16 May 2026
-
Authorities discovered the bodies of a man who worked for Henry County, a woman and an infant in a McDonough home on Tuesday night, leaving the woman’s family devastated and the man’s coworkers within the county’s Department of Transportation stunned.—
Reed Williams,
AJC.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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