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
Amy Wallace, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Trump suggested that Democrats ruined the economy and drove up costs for Americans.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Materials like paper and cardboard can be ruined by food residue and should be sent to the trash instead of recycling, according to DPW.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Years of rough living had ruined the president’s health.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Top awards executive Lisa Taback had her luggage ruined as well.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
That’s when my Samsonite Paralux Carry-on ruined me for all other take-aboard luggage.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026
Roy revealed how human errors cost hours, almost ruined the record, and how the entire attempt almost fell apart midway through the drive.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 18 Feb. 2026
These liberals have ruined this state.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
The girl in that story had her life ruined two decades ago.
—Amy Wallace, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Trump suggested that Democrats ruined the economy and drove up costs for Americans.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Materials like paper and cardboard can be ruined by food residue and should be sent to the trash instead of recycling, according to DPW.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Years of rough living had ruined the president’s health.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Top awards executive Lisa Taback had her luggage ruined as well.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
That’s when my Samsonite Paralux Carry-on ruined me for all other take-aboard luggage.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026
Roy revealed how human errors cost hours, almost ruined the record, and how the entire attempt almost fell apart midway through the drive.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 18 Feb. 2026
These liberals have ruined this state.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
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
-
The cases are ongoing, with plaintiffs also filing claims against the trusts of companies bankrupted by the litigation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Born in 1926 in Weimar Germany, where hyperinflation bankrupted his father’s business, the young Linz witnessed the breakdown of democracy and the onset of Hitler’s dictatorship.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The Los Angeles Fire Department and Mayor Bass have been criticized for their response during and after the Palisades Fire, which burned more than 23,000 acres, killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Accessibility Unfortunately the rooms that met ADA requirements were located on the part of the property that was destroyed during the fires.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His digestive system was wrecked by recurring dysentery and colic, and the calomel prescribed by his doctors only made things worse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The 1992 play was produced for the Paradise Factory theater in Greenwich Village, which credits Noonan for opening the space where an ice cream shop and hat factory operated before a fire wrecked the building.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Dane and the Grey’s writers gradually transformed Mark from a hot, swaggering jerk into a guy loved enough to have the hospital renamed after him (and his equally doomed love, Lexie Grey, played by Chyler Leigh) when the character died.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Blais said each of the guides on the doomed trek was trained and certified in backcountry skiing and served as an instructor with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Massive flooding in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state in May 2024 led to the deaths of at least 185 people and ravaged nearly everything needed for economic activity, from shops to factories, farms and ranches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
For nearly two years, Sudan has been ravaged by a war between the regular army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces.—
Yousra Elbagir,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After the city of New York demolished the Polo Grounds in 1964, a crumbling concrete staircase stood forgotten as the last remaining vestige of the legendary stadium.—
Libby Cierzniak,
IndyStar,
20 Feb. 2026
-
With his daughter, Lupel also tutored youngsters from the Cabrini-Green housing project before it was demolished.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Stress and resentment often builds within relationships driven by sunk cost thinking, which increases within the relationship.—
Gabrielle Kassel,
SELF,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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