1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a ruinous windstorm destroyed the crops
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruinous
Wrinkles, sun spots and sagging skin have become so demonized, that even teenagers — decades away from this reality — and increasingly men, previously exempt from this ruinous beauty standard, have started to fear, anticipate and prepare for their arrival.
—
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Slowly, Castro’s cronies built a kleptocracy that proved ruinous to the Cuban people, but hugely profitable to them.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, county officials will need to save all their firepower to fight a ruinous plan to slash funding the county depends on for essential functions like emergency services.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
Breaking so many contacts between cells may seem ruinous for a zygote floating in the womb.
—Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Slowly, Castro’s cronies built a kleptocracy that proved ruinous to the Cuban people, but hugely profitable to them.
—Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, county officials will need to save all their firepower to fight a ruinous plan to slash funding the county depends on for essential functions like emergency services.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
Breaking so many contacts between cells may seem ruinous for a zygote floating in the womb.
—Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruinous
Adjective
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After enduring nearly 10 months with the heartache of disastrous flooding that killed 28 people at the camp – 25 campers, two counselors and the camp’s director, Dick Eastland – days of hearings resulted in an unexpected decision by Camp Mystic’s leaders.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
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His portrayal of best-selling thriller writer Greg Russo — adrift in a New England college after a disastrous campus speaking engagement — lands in that sweet spot between comedy and drama that has increasingly defined the modern Emmy landscape.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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The virus that is believed to be responsible for the deaths of three people and the illnesses of three others aboard a cruise ship over the weekend is a relatively rare but devastating threat without a vaccine, treatment or cure.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
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What happened this week is nothing less than a massive and devastating blow, not only to our democracy, but particularly to people of color in the South.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shootings of three adults in Baldwin Park last week — two of whom were a married couple, officials said, who were being mourned by their college-age children.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Police have arrested a man on murder and firearm charges in connection with a fatal shooting in Stratford earlier this month.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The plane hitting the water is destructive enough without the help of a jagged coral reef (improbably far from any coastline) slicing through the aircraft’s undercarriage.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
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This is a classic destructive straight-line wind setup, and strong storms will certainly be possible.—
Ron Smiley,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But, yeah, that would be unfortunate.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
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In this unfortunate category, Amazon’s new feature for generating mini-podcast segments that shill for products on its shopping platform really takes the cake.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Despite heroic acts of survival, 25 girls and two counselors died in the catastrophic flooding, as did camp co-owner Dick Eastland.—
Brian Brant,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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This year, several Western states had very dry to record-dry winters, setting them up for a potentially catastrophic wildfire season.—
Austin Amestoy,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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