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
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
Obviously, the primary impact is here at home, as families and businesses are being ruined by gas prices.
—CBS News, 31 May 2026
That’s because New York had played much better for a stretch earlier in the month, but the poor play lately ruined all that work.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Pressure stars Brendan Fraser, Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis and more in a film about the D-Day invasion and the weather system that almost ruined everything.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Motorists complained the gasoline was contaminated and ruined their cars.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
After having his wedding night ruined, a finger and toe cut off and being buried alive, Jacob Elordi‘s Nate Jacobs faced his fate when a venomous rattlesnake slithered its way into the hole he was buried in and bit him.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 May 2026
Adjective
His choices allow the viewer to drink in the intimate details of the ruined world.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
Obviously, the primary impact is here at home, as families and businesses are being ruined by gas prices.
—CBS News, 31 May 2026
That’s because New York had played much better for a stretch earlier in the month, but the poor play lately ruined all that work.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Pressure stars Brendan Fraser, Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis and more in a film about the D-Day invasion and the weather system that almost ruined everything.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Motorists complained the gasoline was contaminated and ruined their cars.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
After having his wedding night ruined, a finger and toe cut off and being buried alive, Jacob Elordi‘s Nate Jacobs faced his fate when a venomous rattlesnake slithered its way into the hole he was buried in and bit him.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
Verb
-
He is relieved is working at a plant in Elkhart, Indiana which was once a 100-year-old family business, and was bought by a new investor who has nearly bankrupted it in two years.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2026
-
Fuel consumption for such a vessel would also likely have bankrupted the Japanese Navy.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones over territories both close to the border but also as further afield as Moscow, St Petersburg, and Novgorod in the country’s west, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
Twelve people were killed, including two young boys, in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where a four-story apartment building was partially destroyed, local officials said.—
Valentyn Ogirenko,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Carson wrecked damn near everyone yesterday, finished fifth, and was ELECTRIC from start to finish.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 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
-
As the members of the 1986 Rogers Commission interrogate the complex inner workings of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to find what, or who, was responsible for the Challenger’s doomed fate, the show explores Commission member Sally Ride’s (Stewart) personal journey.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
Xavier Becerra has emerged as a front-runner in the governor’s race just two months after his campaign seemed doomed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Then, a year after the Palisades wildfires ravaged Southern California, destroying his home, Pratt, 42, announced his bid for Los Angeles mayor.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
The year before, his hometown of Mexico City had been ravaged by a massive earthquake.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
But the building was demolished within a day of the fire, making certainty impossible.—
Max Kutner,
HollywoodReporter,
7 June 2026
-
The set design is centered around the flooded, burned down, and demolished house that appears in the album visuals and is somehow still standing despite it all.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
Your instincts versus the sunk cost of your trip.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
This mindset, however, can also foster a sunk cost fallacy.—
Kumar Rakesh Ranjan,
The Conversation,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Let’s hope that wisdom returns today to support humanitarian aid for war devastated nations.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, Mason was left devastated, according to his parents.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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