1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a ruinous windstorm destroyed the crops
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruinous
But in the absence of stable governance and effective regulations since the 1991 civil war, foreign fishing trawlers have deployed ruinous techniques to exploit the rich fishing environment.
—
Soham Mitra, Lou Robinson and Patrick Gallagher, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
Wielding the language of liberal internationalism to justify ruinous intervention abroad has long been the modus operandi of the neoconservatives, who, since the ascendancy of Trump over the Republican Party, have gravitated back to their original home among the Democrats.
—Anatol Lieven, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Sudan: The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling for power in the nation’s ruinous civil war, announced plans to form a breakaway government.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
For typical investors, such high leverage can be ruinous.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Soham Mitra, Lou Robinson and Patrick Gallagher, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
Wielding the language of liberal internationalism to justify ruinous intervention abroad has long been the modus operandi of the neoconservatives, who, since the ascendancy of Trump over the Republican Party, have gravitated back to their original home among the Democrats.
—Anatol Lieven, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Sudan: The Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling for power in the nation’s ruinous civil war, announced plans to form a breakaway government.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
For typical investors, such high leverage can be ruinous.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruinous
Adjective
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No punishment for shooting a disastrous 24 percent from 3, the team’s worst perimeter performance since its 6-for-23 effort from deep against St. John’s on Feb. 23.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Or how about their disastrous appearance on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here?—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And gambling addiction at any age, as Shaun recalls, can be devastating.—
Ted Koppel,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2025
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Those 100-mph-plus winds from Hurricane Milton were devastating.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The video the boys took the night of the fatal hit-and-run was uploaded to Instagram, police said.—
Saleen Martin,
USA TODAY,
19 Mar. 2025
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Missing The Human Element Another fatal error is treating AI implementation as purely a technical challenge rather than a socio-technical one that requires human adoption and integration.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Present bias is the trait of being unable to muster the willpower to avoid destructive buy now, pay later behavior.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Climate change’s role Hurricanes are a far more destructive force in Florida than wildfires, which destroy many more properties in western states than in the Sunshine State.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Viet and Nam try to make sense of the tragic deaths of unfortunate people like Nam’s father, while their film namesake also attempts to do similar for people like those who have perished when attempting to find a new life.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
28 Mar. 2025
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Here at home, extreme weather exacerbated by climate change is having many unfortunate impacts on our lives, from farmers losing crops to devastating floods, brush fires, and high heat days.—
Michael Leone,
Hartford Courant,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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