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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ravages
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruins
Verb
-
By clinging to Newtonian certainty, economics often destroys the opportunity to do something magically creative.—
Eric Markowitz,
Big Think,
30 Dec. 2024 -
Other points-counterpoints focus on whether pasteurization also destroys vitamins in milk.—
Jan Ellen Spiegel,
Hartford Courant,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Many who have returned home since the ceasefire began have found only mounds of rubble. —Magdy reported from Cairo and Krauss from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.—
Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy,
TIME,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Those returning to their homes in recent days have frequently encountered only piles of rubble that remain.—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Several carts loaded with household possessions travelled down a thoroughfare scattered with rubble and debris.—
Mohammed Salem,
USA TODAY,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Today, stove tops jut out of the sand, mixing with glass bottles and pieces of debris scattered by Hurricane Beryl in July of 2024.—
Joe Sills,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The area was so inaccessible by air and ground that the plane’s wreckage wasn’t discovered until 1999, 51 years later, thanks in part to the efforts of private searchers.—
Francine Uenuma,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Singh — and others like him — are now grappling with how to live and work amid the wreckage.—
Sasha Hupka,
USA TODAY,
23 Jan. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Thesaurus Entries Near ruins
Cite this Entry
“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share