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
Sari Hitchins, Parents, 10 June 2026
But Wembanyama and the Spurs ended the streak and ruined the Knicks’ first home NBA Finals game since 1999.
—Brian Mahoney, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026
Years earlier, in 2001, the undercover detective involved claimed her career had been ruined by the case, and received around $166,000 in an out-of-court settlement, per the BBC.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026
In the Netflix documentary, Stagg says that the allegations against him ruined years of his life.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2026
Years before the reality TV craze, Real Life is scarily prescient in its depiction of lives ruined by the presence of cameras, while also operating as a hilarious observational comedy about a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Items that fall in the toilet are soggy, in need of sanitizing, and possibly ruined.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2026
Our house, ruined by the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, was rebuilt from the foundation up.
—Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
Our painters, on the other hand, nearly ruined his hard work.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 1 June 2026
Adjective
His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
That's when the PAW Patrol has to step in to stop Humdinger before the island is ruined!
—Sari Hitchins, Parents, 10 June 2026
But Wembanyama and the Spurs ended the streak and ruined the Knicks’ first home NBA Finals game since 1999.
—Brian Mahoney, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026
Years earlier, in 2001, the undercover detective involved claimed her career had been ruined by the case, and received around $166,000 in an out-of-court settlement, per the BBC.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026
In the Netflix documentary, Stagg says that the allegations against him ruined years of his life.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2026
Years before the reality TV craze, Real Life is scarily prescient in its depiction of lives ruined by the presence of cameras, while also operating as a hilarious observational comedy about a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Items that fall in the toilet are soggy, in need of sanitizing, and possibly ruined.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2026
Our house, ruined by the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, was rebuilt from the foundation up.
—Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
Our painters, on the other hand, nearly ruined his hard work.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
Adjective
-
In his hands, Tom can be buffoonish, tragic, doomed and heroic at once.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
In a June 3 post on X, Biden accused Tapper of attacking his mom after the journalist questioned Jill Biden’s account of former president Joe Biden’s mental state during his doomed 2024 re-election campaign.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Fuel consumption for such a vessel would also likely have bankrupted the Japanese Navy.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
Enveloped in their own scandals of excess, Pantages, Mills and Shreve were bankrupted.—
Eric DuVall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The fire burned more than 60 acres and destroyed several structures, including homes, according to CBS Los Angeles.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
More than 400 were destroyed in accordance with nuclear arms treaty agreements.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The six jurors in George Pino’s vessel-homicide and manslaughter trial took a road trip to North Miami on Thursday morning to view his boat, which was wrecked in the crash that killed a teenage girl and severely injured two others.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
And for the first time this season, the cars wrecked completely flat-out; with no long straights and plenty of braking zones, the cars were not energy-limited for once this season.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
Spending on infrastructure can quickly end up as a sunk cost, as centerpieces like stadiums lie idle and drain public funds for years after the intended event—as was the case following the 2010 and 2014 World Cups in South Africa and Brazil, respectively.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
3 June 2026
-
Now, with Spain allowing the family to travel to Madrid, the $1,400 was a sunk cost.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Los Angeles – and particularly the community that surrounds Riviera, still in recovery mode from the devastating fires that ravaged Pacific Palisades in January, 2025 – also won, with this week-long reminder that this community is still awfully special, no matter what the haters say.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
-
Since wildfires in 2007 ravaged large swaths of San Diego County, SDG&E has spent more than $6 billion of ratepayer dollars to reduce the risk of widespread fires.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Last week, an iconic cafe was demolished at the base of the structure, and on Sunday, some residents were wondering if excavation work three weeks ago may have contributed to the pier's collapse.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
For her trouble, she was demolished in the general election by Jerry Brown, 54-41.—
Garry South,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Spanning four stories above a finished basement, the townhouse contains five bedrooms, five full baths, and three powder rooms.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 June 2026
-
Game 3 didn’t make San Antonio a finished product.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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