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 demolished
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
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 ruined
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Cash is king right now, Hsia said, and the AFJ is matching up to $1 million in donations that will go toward things such as new roofs for houses whose roofs were blown off and new furniture after many people's belongings were soaked through and ruined.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Yeah, my evening was ruined, but the season wasn’t.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Three dead roaches and 23 rodent droppings — 11 on the floor of the dry storage area — ruined the re-inspection four days later.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
But Lissu ruined it all by his self-centric strategies.
—Danish Manzoor Bhat, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
No, baseball was not yet ruined.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
There is even Depardieu’s own late son, Guillaume, whose death at age thirty-seven was hastened along by heroin use that had ruined his health, and over whom Ferrara recalls Depardieu shedding copious tears during one of their early meetings.
—Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Paint cans and electronics can be ruined if stored in extreme heat and cold.
—Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
An old fur coat or feather stole could also be ruined.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
Cash is king right now, Hsia said, and the AFJ is matching up to $1 million in donations that will go toward things such as new roofs for houses whose roofs were blown off and new furniture after many people's belongings were soaked through and ruined.
—Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Yeah, my evening was ruined, but the season wasn’t.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Three dead roaches and 23 rodent droppings — 11 on the floor of the dry storage area — ruined the re-inspection four days later.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
But Lissu ruined it all by his self-centric strategies.
—Danish Manzoor Bhat, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
No, baseball was not yet ruined.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
There is even Depardieu’s own late son, Guillaume, whose death at age thirty-seven was hastened along by heroin use that had ruined his health, and over whom Ferrara recalls Depardieu shedding copious tears during one of their early meetings.
—Nick Pinkerton, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Paint cans and electronics can be ruined if stored in extreme heat and cold.
—Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
Adjective
-
Owner Jason Boso fixed that, infusing $2 million into the 10-year-old bar on better bathrooms, a covered section of the patio and a re-done kitchen.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas News,
3 Apr. 2023
Verb
-
In the late 1830s, as a devastating financial crisis bankrupted antislavery societies across the North, the movement seemed splintered and powerless to keep up its petition pressure campaign.—
Time,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Multiple rocket explosions nearly bankrupted the company.—
Joel Shulman,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Herodotus reasoned that had Helen in fact been within the walls of Troy instead of in Egypt, the Trojans would surely have surrendered her to the Greeks rather than allow their city to be destroyed.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Your homes may have been damaged or destroyed and your communities and towns no longer look the same.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bonner's father worked at the Product Development Center — part of which Bonner demolished to make way for the new World Headquarters building.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The ballroom project has stirred controversy, as the East Wing, home of the First Lady’s staff and long a grand entrance for White House events, was demolished to make room for the new ballroom.—
Kate Wolffe
October 30,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Those who predicted a doomed future for all of humanity called us addicts and criminals, leeches and slime (and way worse things) because we were detested, shouted at, dragged by our arms across bedrooms and public sporting events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Foreseeing FedSur’s fall and the region’s triumph over climate change, Jonás inspires millions of Latinos to join his reactionary revolution, while Crussí, hunted by the regime, undertakes a doomed mission to kill the religious tyrant who foresees his intent.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Families in the region were already hurting before the shutdown due to the Dragon Bravo Fire that ravaged the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for nearly three months, Amos said.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The San Francisco 49ers have been hanging tough despite being ravaged by the injury bug for the second year in a row.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The case of Mamulya, a donkey whose hoof was shattered, apparently in a mine explosion, becomes central to the story, emblematic of the assistance the sanctuary receives from within and beyond Ukraine’s borders in order to provide state-of-the-art medical treatments.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
-
But when newspapers shifted from reinforcing social order to documenting disorder in readers’ own communities, audiences responded by distrusting the institution that shattered their comforting myths.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
With consistent insight, leaders can shift from reactive spending to strategic investing—turning technology from a sunk cost into a competitive advantage.—
Kathleen Hurley,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
With Aguirre’s plan, the efforts will become a sunk cost.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share