ruinous

adjective

ˈrü-ə-nəs How to pronounce ruinous (audio)
Definition of ruinousnext
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction a ruinous windstorm destroyed the crops

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 ruinous In underwriting the loss can run to many times the premium, so a model that is right 95% of the time but wildly overconfident the rest can still be ruinous if its failures bunch together in the wrong place. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 The controversial relationship likely proved ruinous for Gates’ relationship with his now ex wife. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 11 June 2026 For a multimillion-dollar data center, that disposal model is potentially ruinous. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 June 2026 Cassie took to OnlyFans, mostly for her own validation but partly to bail her now-husband Nate (Jacob Elordi) out of ruinous debt — reuniting her with her estranged best friend Maddy (Alexa Demie), now a talent manager. — Alison Herman, Variety, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruinous
  1. disastrous
  2. devastating
  3. fatal
  4. destructive
  5. unfortunate
  6. catastrophic
Adjective
  • After a disastrous road trip and traumatic trade deadline, Washington earned a feel-good victory.
    — Noah White, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2026
  • After a disastrous stint in Carolina and a one-year return to coaching as Stanford’s interim coach in 2025, Frank Reich arrived with a fresh perspective as the Jets’ offensive coordinator.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • Claudine Constant, director of the Beyond Jails Initiative at Vera Institute of Justice, said even one day can be devastating.
    — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The fear is that a spark from an encampment could be whipped by winds and quickly turn into a devastating blaze across Malibu’s fire-prone hills.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • The bureau, which faces little public accountability in fatal shootings, declined to comment for this story.
    — Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The man who prosecutors say orchestrated the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur is scheduled to go to trial Monday, almost 30 years after the fatal drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • Is promoting a destructive habit to aid education, at the cost of harming others, a genuine reflection of our values?
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Fire danger continues in the Pacific Northwest Saturday as flame-fueling winds reached their strongest point in days on Friday, challenging fire crews battling to keep destructive blazes from spreading in Spokane, Washington, and across the region.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of destructive
Adjective
  • But Michael Pentecost, a Royse City resident who was not at the swimming pool, called the situation unfortunate.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This unfortunate incident significantly complicates FC Barcelona's squad planning.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Mount Krakatoa, an island volcano in what is now Indonesia, entered its catastrophic eruption phase.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The new setting hinges on those three revelations turning catastrophic.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

ruining
ruinous
ruins
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ruinous

Nglish: Translation of ruinous for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All