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
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2
as in to destroy
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county
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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
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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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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
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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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruin
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Other highlights include a powerful camera that can detect faces and up to 10 hours of battery life, so a forgotten charger won’t ruin your plans.
—Sarah Felbin, SELF, 29 Nov. 2024
Christopher Cann, The Arizona Republic, 1 Dec. 2024
Using cutting edge carbon dating technology, authors of the study say the weapon for 480 years sat in ruin inside the building that was part of San Geronimo III, the first European settlement in the Southwest that was established in 1540.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruin 
Verb
Odysseus is dressed as a beggar, ragged and ruined.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Other highlights include a powerful camera that can detect faces and up to 10 hours of battery life, so a forgotten charger won’t ruin your plans.
—Sarah Felbin, SELF, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
Using cutting-edge carbon dating technology, authors of the study say the weapon for 480 years sat in ruin inside the building that was part of San Geronimo III, the first European settlement in the Southwest that was established in 1540.
—Christopher Cann, The Arizona Republic, 1 Dec. 2024
Using cutting edge carbon dating technology, authors of the study say the weapon for 480 years sat in ruin inside the building that was part of San Geronimo III, the first European settlement in the Southwest that was established in 1540.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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That, warns Boston University professor of economics Laurence Kotlikoff, would bankrupt the system even quicker, since those taxes are revenue streams keeping it afloat.Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
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The recent decision to overturn the state regulation may bankrupt those entities, backers of Act 10 have argued, according to AP.Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
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He is then seen waving the baton, destroying property and throwing items at police, according to his criminal complaint.Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024
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Al Shahabi also asked on Facebook where the recordings of surveillance cameras at regime security branches had gone, why some documents had been destroyed and why human rights groups had not done more to protect records.Raja Razek, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Officials are assessing damage after Cyclone Chido devastated the island of Mayotte over the weekend.Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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The booth was directly across the street from MacArthur Park, the epicenter of a drug epidemic that has devastated the Westlake neighborhood.Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Looting and destruction Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act after a generation of lobbying by educators and scientists who wanted to protect sites from commercial artifact looting and haphazard collecting by individuals.Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
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The destruction comes as Russia continued to advance into Ukrainian territory, while taking heavy casualties.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Notre-Dame was also a wreck during the 19th century when a young French architect named Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was hired to save it from ruin.Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024
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After a series of mishaps and a wreck off Cape Breton, however, Richard W. Haines, an American businessman, bought the ship, made significant repairs and renamed it the Mary Celeste.Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Health bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
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Health care expenses are a top cause of bankruptcy in the U.S., a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found.Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The ‘blazing furnace’ The real estate mogul’s downfall was stunning for the gargantuan scale of the fraud, rattling a country which has long projected an image of authoritarian stability.Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
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His downfall was precipitated by his decision to invoke Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, bypassing a parliamentary vote to push through a controversial 2025 budget.Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Rather, there are various incidents (a fishing expedition gone awry, a mysterious object appears under the sand, a storm ravages the lighthouse).Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
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More news: 49ers vs Rams Expert Predictions for Thursday Night Football Week 15 The 49ers have been ravaged by injuries, and have some not-so-household names who could come up huge as the fantasy football playoffs get underway.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ruin
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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