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

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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 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
  1. disastrous
  2. devastating
  3. fatal
  4. destructive
  5. unfortunate
  6. catastrophic
Adjective
  • Hopefully that comes with less disastrous results than Bear’s wish.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • If a presidential administration were to decide that research in a specific area was no longer important for political reasons, that could have disastrous consequences for our nation.
    — Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • San Francisco, Lisbon, Tokyo, Christchurch are all cities that have been rebuilt stronger and safer after devastating earthquakes.
    — Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • Has a devastating chip block on Abdul Carter featured on his reel.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Authorities have taken a suspect into custody following a fatal shooting Sunday night in Round Lake Beach.
    — Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026
  • As cars and roads multiplied, accidents began to pile up; by the mid-sixties, there were more than fifty thousand fatal highway accidents per year.
    — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • Two of Canada’s most destructive wildfire seasons occurred in 2023 and 2025, and the last three fire seasons were among the 10 worst on record.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
  • The Federalist Papers include proposals for institutional solutions that sought to redirect the destructive drives of individuals toward positive social ends.
    — Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
Definition of destructive
Adjective
  • No, this unfortunate moniker represents the lack of attention to and awareness of the disease.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Typically, when rookies put up gaudy numbers in Las Vegas, their stats are accompanied by unfortunate shooting percentages or a bevy of turnovers, but that wasn’t the case for Burries.
    — Eric Nehm, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • As humanity contemplates the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change, Sulej says the story of the Mastodonsaurus offers some hope.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
  • The last major hurricane to hit Miami-Dade County was the catastrophic Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but the city did not take a direct hit.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of catastrophic

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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 Jul. 2026.

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