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
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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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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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ruin
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
The Orionid meteor shower will unfold against a pristinely dark, moonless sky — unlike the Perseids, whose August peak was somewhat ruined by the light cast by a waning gibbous moon that hid dimmer members of the shower from view.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Did 'Twilight' ruin the vampire genre?
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
Olympia is clearly torn about the situation, and almost confesses to Matty, but her fear that Julian's crimes could ruin the lives of their children keeps her mouth shut and her mind focused on exposing Senior.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
The Orionid meteor shower will unfold against a pristinely dark, moonless sky — unlike the Perseids, whose August peak was somewhat ruined by the light cast by a waning gibbous moon that hid dimmer members of the shower from view.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
In the southern border city of Sderot, which was attacked on October 7, and is frequently the target of rocket fire, a group of Israelis gathered at an observation deck overlooking Gaza to revel in its ruin.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Did 'Twilight' ruin the vampire genre?
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
-
Paul faces charges for the death of his friend, and her parents sue Alex for millions, threatening to bankrupt him and expose all his criminal enterprises.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The latest ones give the impression that women’s and Olympic sports are in trouble because having to pay athletes a salary is going to bankrupt their schools.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fear of further Israeli strikes, particularly on Iran, remains acute in the public’s mind as much of Iranian air defenses likely were destroyed by Israel in June.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The Wild were absolutely destroyed in the faceoff circle, losing 44 of 71 (38 percent success rate).—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Public school advocates like William Phillis, a former official at the Ohio Department of Education, fear the change would devastate public schools.—
Megan O’Matz,
ProPublica,
8 Oct. 2025
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However, in places like Crow Creek Tribal School in South Dakota, Superintendent Rob Coverdale says the fee could devastate hiring efforts.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Aghion and Howitt studied the mechanisms behind sustained growth, including in a 1992 article that offered a complex mathematical model for creative destruction that added new aspects not included in earlier models.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Still, through the summer of 2020, stories of statue destruction emerged from all corners of the country.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In addition to the exploding festival stage, there’s a drunken bachelorette wreck, plus a jaw-dropping boy-with-the-red-balloon moment involving a little girl and a kite.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The statement did not include any details on the wreck, or any potential injuries.—
Angele Latham,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At one point, the satirical news site The Onion tried to purchase InfoWars at a bankruptcy auction, but the court refused to approve the sale.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Her legal woes are only the latest for the long-running Bravo reality TV franchise, with The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice having served 11 months in jail over a bank and bankruptcy fraud case.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But new research is rewriting what’s known about the root problem that led to the vessel’s downfall.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
-
My downfall was rooted in my selfishness.—
Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Israeli government approved the first part of the peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza, after a brutal two-year war that has ravaged the Palestinian enclave and sparked a global outcry, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early on Friday local time.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The death toll in Gaza has surpassed sixty-seven thousand, with the enclave so ravaged that Israel has become something of an international pariah.—
Ruth Margalit,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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