Synonyms of ruining

ruining

verb

present participle of ruin

1

as in bankrupting

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

• bankrupting
• busting
• reducing
• breaking
• impoverishing
• pauperizing
• beggaring
• wiping out
• cleaning (out)
• straitening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enriching
• richening

2

as in destroying

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroying
• ravaging
• devastating
• wrecking
• plundering
• scourging
• stripping
• shattering
• obliterating
• despoiling
• eradicating
• sacking
• wasting
• looting
• pillaging
• vaporizing
• decimating
• marauding
• extinguishing
• annihilating
• demolishing
• expunging
• smashing
• extirpating
• wiping out
• harrying
• overwhelming
• wracking
• totaling
• mowing
• nuking
• desolating
• overthrowing
• razing
• overrunning
• overpowering
• foraying
• crushing
• rubbing out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restoring
• recovering
• rehabilitating
• repairing
• fixing
• redeeming
• reconditioning
• mending
• patching
• revamping

3

as in wrecking

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

• destroying
• wrecking
• demolishing
• shattering
• devastating
• smashing
• damaging
• wasting
• overcoming
• eroding
• decimating
• marring
• annihilating
• extinguishing
• vaporizing
• ravaging
• crippling
• pulverizing
• killing
• razing
• totaling
• creaming
• crushing
• dismantling
• wracking
• tearing down
• breaking
• removing
• blasting
• defeating
• pulling down
• nuking
• spoiling
• doing in
• harming
• injuring
• impairing
• desolating
• subduing
• deteriorating
• disintegrating
• conquering
• rubbing out
• trimming
• mutilating
• licking
• mastering
• prevailing (over)
• winning (against)
• clobbering
• eradicating
• dissolving
• defacing
• whipping
• disfiguring
• surmounting
• obliterating
• undoing
• dynamiting
• mangling
• routing
• vitiating
• wearing (away)
• besting
• thrashing
• gutting
• scouring
• beating
• vandalizing
• slaughtering
• triumphing (over)
• sweeping (away)
• assassinating
• murdering
• exterminating
• plundering
• trampling
• despoiling
• disassembling
• sacking
• walloping
• expunging
• trashing
• blowing up
• liquidating
• trouncing
• extirpating
• looting
• overbearing
• washing out
• effacing
• wiping out
• massacring
• overmatching
• executing
• pillaging
• taking down
• scotching
• slaying
• cutting down
• butchering
• drubbing
• zapping
• blotting out
• stamping (out)
• unmaking
• dilapidating
• skunking
• rooting (out)
• dispatching
• killing off
• snuffing (out)
• taking out
• felling
• mowing (down)
• unbuilding
• havocking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• creating
• raising
• repairing
• fixing
• erecting
• rearing
• setting up
• making
• producing
• forming
• shaping
• putting up
• inventing
• establishing
• manufacturing
• protecting
• assembling
• forging
• organizing
• preserving
• saving
• framing
• revamping
• patching
• molding
• fashioning
• fabricating
• constituting
• instituting
• mending
• bringing about
• reconditioning
• restoring
• doctoring
• conserving
• founding
• rebuilding
• reconstructing
• remodeling
• fathering
• renovating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ruining

Shop additional Ilia beauty products below, and don’t fret about the heat ruining your glam. — Jennifer Chan, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026

Floyd is no longer attracted to his wife, has trouble connecting with his teen-age stepson, and owes tens of thousands in taxes—a set of stressors that are ruining his health. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 July 2026

Plus, one of the biggest things that holds people back from DIY is a fear of ruining their home, but that’s virtually impossible with peel-and-stick wallpaper. — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 13 July 2026

Clothes moths are indoor pests notorious for ruining the best threads in any closet. — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026

But the neighboring 171-feet Shelborne By Proper hotel says the new tower will cast a shadow over its pool, ruining the experience for guests at the luxury hotel. — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026

Water had seeped in everywhere on that floor, ruining the carpet, as well as other items. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

Trump has accused vandals of ruining the pool, and redirected officers to police the area. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026

After all, plenty of cocktail enthusiasts already complain about mosquitoes ruining a summer evening. — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026