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

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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 Outlier losses can deplete a significant portion of your account, causing severe financial and emotional impact, and can be detrimental and potentially ruinous to your trading career. — David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 In this telling, Ivan appears as a precursor to Stalin and other ruinous Russian despots. — Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 By that point, Didulo’s fictional laws had begun having ruinous effects. — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026 With his resignation, Starmer becomes the sixth British prime minister to resign since the seismic, and ultimately ruinous, Brexit referendum vote on June 2016. — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 22 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
  • Prolonged pump stoppages could lead to a disastrous local scenario of ruptured water supply, district heating, and sewage pipes, even if electricity remains available elsewhere in the country.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Yet, the Royals are sitting at home after a disastrous 69-93 campaign.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • As a super El Niño intensifies in the Pacific Ocean, coastal beach erosion is devastating Southern California and beyond.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But this same resilience can make wars longer and more devastating.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Another e-bike rider died over the weekend in Huntington Beach, marking the second fatal incident involving an e-bike in the coastal city in months.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Presley, Crawford’s son and Kaia’s older brother, died of a fatal overdose inside a rehab facility after years of struggling with addiction and his mental health.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • Amid unusual heat and unrelenting winds, hundreds of firefighters worked to contain several small, but destructive fires that ignited across Southern California.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Kent said embers from burning homes can ignite nearby properties, allowing fires to spread from one structure to another and potentially contribute to larger, more destructive blazes.
    — Steve Large, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of destructive
Adjective
  • Neighbors shocked about stabbing Neighbors say Thomas was known to have mental health issues and called the stabbing unfortunate.
    — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • To make matters worse, India’s Supreme Court, another vital democratic institution, has also played an unfortunate role in this train of events.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Those observations also revealed that Bennu was once part of a much larger, water-rich parent asteroid that shattered in a catastrophic collision in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The catastrophic exit from Afghanistan was devastating to many veterans who had served there.
    — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

ruining
ruinous
ruins
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Cite this Entry

“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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