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

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

Luckily, his ex is kind enough to give him a pep talk before Lee ruins the afternoon for everyone. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

Nothing ruins a good time like misplaced sympathy, and siding with the man of the house in a series that’s more rooted in women’s perspectives with each passing season just feels wrong. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026

George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026

Nothing ruins an outfit faster than an ill-fitting bra, which is why this V-neck option caught our eye. — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Bringing these types of guys back is what ruins a team’s flexibility. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026

And that’s a bit of a problem, because nothing ruins the allure of the new and novel quite like ubiquity. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026

Actual Roman ruins As for those interested in seeing legitimate sites, Arya recommends Verona for an amphitheater, or Aquileia, two and a half hours northeast on Veneto’s border with Friuli. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 24 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

Noun

Pre-Columbian ruins are always near, reachable by boat, trek, and car, on excursions organized by the hotel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026

But as the day wore on, bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets were carried from the ruins and laid in rows as smoke drifted across the shattered landscape. — ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026

As the day wore on, bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets were carried from the ruins and laid in rows as smoke drifted across the shattered landscape. — Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

The novels follow Cammie Skoura, a brilliant, neurodivergent young scientist aboard a deep-space expedition that uncovers a trail of ancient ruins and long-dead alien civilizations leading toward a mind-shattering discovery. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026

The factory closed in 1984, but during its decades of operation, tons of its waste were buried on the property, just across the railroad tracks from where the ruins of the old plant still sit. — CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

After eight months of war that have decimated Iran’s leadership and impoverished the country, much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure lies in ruins. — Howard Lafranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Nov. 2026

Ancient ruins, uncovered during construction, have been preserved beside the walking paths. — Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2026

Using photogammetry, a technique which renders 2D surfaces into 3D models, and game engines, Montoya directs a virtual drone that hovers over the ruins of cities and its strange, frozen residents. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026