1
as in to bankrupt
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to devastate
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
a vicious bombardment that left the building in ruins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wreck
ruins plural
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts
the family faces ruin if the chief breadwinner doesn't find another job very soon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
the politician's eventual ruin would be a sexual indiscretion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ruin
Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Jesse imagining the women ruining the mattress topper with her squirting is an example of the specificity of great writing.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
James Mercadante, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Travel experts and therapists agree that vacations have the propensity to fracture relationships, and even the deepest connections are a trip away from potential ruin.
—Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
Stars have seen their careers ruined — or even ended their own lives — because of aggressive and sometimes malicious online rumors over everything from plastic surgeries to their romantic life.
—Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Jesse imagining the women ruining the mattress topper with her squirting is an example of the specificity of great writing.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
Colin Farrell stars as a former horse showman who returns from World War I to work at a circus on the verge of financial ruin (run by Danny DeVito's Max Medici).
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2025
Travel experts and therapists agree that vacations have the propensity to fracture relationships, and even the deepest connections are a trip away from potential ruin.
—Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
-
These two economic realities could bankrupt the dollar, seriously crater our economy and make the Depression look like the Roaring ’20s.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2025
-
The outcome was a blow to the environmental advocacy group, which has previously said that a lawsuit of this size could bankrupt its U.S. operations.—
Simmone Shah,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Palisades and Eaton fires burned more than 40,000 acres and destroyed at least 12,000 buildings.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Many of the early hires were believed to be young tech engineers with little to no government experience, prompting criticism from Democrats and unions that critical government services and systems would be cut or destroyed.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
This decision devastated Ajax, whose honor and ego were deeply wounded.—
Antonis Kocheilas,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The floods have devastated local economies and communities.—
Alan Taylor,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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On March 28, an individual who had been missing since Helene's destruction was found and identified as 66-year-old Russell Wilber, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Wednesday.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The path of destruction stretched about 11 miles in the city outside Tulsa, and radar indicated a possible tornado had formed, according to a statement from city government.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Two women in another vehicle came upon the wreck and pulled off to the shoulder to help the woman inside, police told the outlet.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2025
-
One student was seriously injured in the wreck in Wall Township around 7:30 a.m., NJ.com reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In recent months, there's also been bankruptcy filings from TGI Fridays and Red Lobster.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The recent bankruptcy filing of genetic testing company 23andMe, which allows users to spit in a tube and send away the sample for a detailed DNA analysis, has sparked the possibility that the data could revolutionize cold-case cracking.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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His season-ending injury helped the Cowboys’ downfall in 2024.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Myanmar, which has been facing tough times since the military coup in 2021—as well as being ravaged by a recent earthquake—faces 44 percent tariffs.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Apr. 2025
-
In already ravaged Tennessee, forecasters said Saturday could be the most dangerous day of this outbreak.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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