Synonyms of ruins

ruins 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ruin

1

as in bankrupts

to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts

after he was ruined by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the industrialist was forced to sell his mansion and start all over again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bankrupts
• busts
• breaks
• reduces
• impoverishes
• beggars
• wipes out
• pauperizes
• cleans (out)
• straitens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enriches
• richens

2

as in ravages

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ravages
• destroys
• devastates
• wrecks
• scourges
• plunders
• despoils
• desolates
• shatters
• overwhelms
• obliterates
• loots
• pillages
• sacks
• wipes out
• vaporizes
• annihilates
• eradicates
• strips
• wastes
• wracks
• forays
• demolishes
• decimates
• expunges
• extirpates
• harries
• extinguishes
• nukes
• marauds
• smashes
• totals
• razes
• rubs out
• mows
• overthrows
• overruns
• overpowers
• crushes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restores
• recovers
• redeems
• repairs
• rehabilitates
• fixes
• reconditions
• mends
• patches
• revamps

3

as in destroys

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

a huge fire that ruined an entire city block

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroys
• wrecks
• demolishes
• shatters
• devastates
• smashes
• damages
• wastes
• ravages
• overcomes
• erodes
• desolates
• annihilates
• decimates
• razes
• mars
• vaporizes
• extinguishes
• wracks
• cripples
• pulverizes
• tears down
• pulls down
• nukes
• totals
• kills
• rubs out
• crushes
• defeats
• dismantles
• breaks
• does in
• injures
• creams
• blasts
• spoils
• removes
• masters
• subdues
• conquers
• disfigures
• disintegrates
• prevails (over)
• deteriorates
• harms
• wins (against)
• impairs
• overbears
• triumphs (over)
• licks
• dissolves
• surmounts
• defaces
• routs
• mutilates
• bests
• dynamites
• obliterates
• vitiates
• sweeps (away)
• clobbers
• trims
• despoils
• mangles
• eradicates
• overmatches
• scours
• trounces
• guts
• unmakes
• thrashes
• washes out
• vandalizes
• exterminates
• blows up
• wipes out
• plunders
• stamps (out)
• undoes
• beats
• slaughters
• murders
• loots
• effaces
• wears (away)
• whips
• scotches
• assassinates
• wallops
• extirpates
• expunges
• takes down
• roots (out)
• pillages
• tramples
• disassembles
• sacks
• blots out
• cuts down
• liquidates
• slays
• trashes
• unbuilds
• kills off
• dilapidates
• drubs
• massacres
• snuffs (out)
• mows (down)
• takes out
• dispatches
• fells
• zaps
• executes
• skunks
• havocs
• butchers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• builds
• constructs
• repairs
• raises
• doctors
• sets up
• creates
• erects
• rears
• fixes
• forms
• manufactures
• produces
• makes
• shapes
• fathers
• constitutes
• puts up
• invents
• institutes
• protects
• establishes
• preserves
• frames
• fashions
• assembles
• founds
• patches
• mends
• brings about
• saves
• reconditions
• organizes
• revamps
• restores
• conserves
• forges
• molds
• reconstructs
• fabricates
• rebuilds
• renovates
• remodels

ruins

2 of 2

noun

plural of ruin

as in rubble

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed

the ruins of an abandoned abbey

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rubble
• debris
• wreckage
• remains
• remnant
• ashes
• wreck
• detritus
• residue
• flotsam
• dust
• garbage
• junk
• leavings
• litter
• rubbish
• trash
• refuse
• jetsam
• scrap
• chaff
• waste
• dross
• deadwood
• riffraff

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ruins

Verb

Nothing ruins a relationship faster than finding out your girlfriend, who’s actually the entire world, stole your frozen eggs. — Reshma Gopaldas, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026

When porch days turn into nights, nothing ruins the vibe of an evening gathering or solo wind-down faster than a blinding flashlight or hunting for an outlet. — Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2026

The Saturday Night Live alum and Staten Island ferry co-owner can be spotted shooting a scene for a crime show with Bobby Cannavale when Owen accidentally runs onto the set and ruins their take. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Aug. 2026

The Carhartt Mansion ruins in Rock Hill are the remains of a lavish 1909 homestead built by workwear founder Hamilton Carhartt, who once owned three miles of land along the Catawba River. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026

That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them. — New Atlas, 24 July 2026

Hikers follow ancient stone pathways built by the Inca civilization, crossing cloud forests, high mountain passes, and ruins scattered along the route. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026

Don’t leave without taking a peek at the castle wall ruins, still picturesque even though the 10th-century Moorish structure is long gone. — Jennifer Fernández Solano, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

The country packs a lot into a relatively small footprint, from ancient Maya ruins to world-class diving along the world’s second-largest barrier reef. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026

Noun

The frantic search for survivors has long since yielded to the grim spectacle of excavators clearing ruins. — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

For travelers, the designation puts a spotlight on a place where mythology isn't confined to museums and archaeological ruins. — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Juan Mogollon, a 28-year-old Venezuelan living in Orlando, Florida, learned from a TV broadcast Monday morning that his 16-year-old cousin, José Juan Vivas, and the boy’s grandparents were trapped in the ruins of their apartment building in Cali. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Xiaorou was known on Douyin for her paranormal investigations, visiting ruins and challenging various superstitions. — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

Aerial footage of the home in the 6600 block of Harrison showed it had been completely destroyed, with debris scattered around the smoking ruins. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Video from Reuters showed worshippers congregating near the ruins of the community hub in the Tequendama neighborhood. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

The first stage happens in the ruins of walls, and players can climb atop the walls to attack from above. — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

The production used cliff-top industrial ruins, working harbor settings and historic churches around Cornwall to build its atmosphere. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026