RUINOUS Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

ruinous

adjective

ˈrü-ə-nəs

Definition of ruinous

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

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 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 Instead, gum arabic, like so much of the country’s gargantuan wealth, now provides both the reason and resources for its staggeringly ruinous civil war. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ruinous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruinous

Adjective

Following a disastrous 3-14 season, the Jets selected three players in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026
Experiments In Offline Dating by Kat Mackenzie Maya Davis travels to Ireland to find love the old-fashioned way for her dating podcast, only to endure the most disastrous blind date of her life with a gruff sheep farmer.

— Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 31 July 2026

Definition of disastrous

Adjective

So having the pieces start to fall around her is devastating.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
When mice at Patricia Hunt’s lab at Washington State University began losing fetuses with devastating birth defects — facial deformities and missing hindquarters — or failed to reproduce at all, Hunt immediately put on her detective hat.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of devastating

Adjective

Bush and Bell both honed their leadership skills in Ferguson amid the racial unrest that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in 2014.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
The certification — and several more Boeing is targeting this year — are crucial in getting the company back to profitability, after two fatal crashes months apart in 2018 helped European rival Airbus pull ahead in global plane deliveries.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of fatal

Adjective

The blaze in Spokane County is unfolding during a wildfire year that so far has been historically destructive across the United States.

— Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
The Associated Press reported in December that two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Musk’s Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel.

— Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of destructive

Adjective

That is unfortunate for wagon loyalists, but the V60 gets to leave without an awkward farewell edition or cosmetic gimmicks.

— Josh Max, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
This is especially unfortunate since there’s currently more content mastered in Dolby Vision HDR than in HDR10+, the competing high dynamic range standard.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of unfortunate

Adjective

The honest tension is that this speed and coherence has not extended to what China exports through open weights and the Digital Silk Road, where catastrophic-risk evaluation still lags US and international peer efforts.

— Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Like a certain hero of Greek myth and big-screen blockbuster, the Etna of Yoon's title is the veteran of a catastrophic war, scarred in body and mind, dogged in pursuit of an improbable homecoming.

— Colin Dwyer, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

ruining

ruinous

ruins

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ruinous

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on ruinous

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nurture

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes