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
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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
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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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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
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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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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
Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Between not having full access to your scalp and ruining the look of your style, some folks prefer to skip cleansing altogether.
—Tatayana Yomary, Essence, 19 May 2025
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 May 2025
The question of whether the studio can still produce a solo RPG experience on the level of the false god dethronement of Morrowind or the D.C. ruin excavation of Fallout 3 remains open.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
But most important for me, this episode resolved just how Ellie had left it with Joel before Abby ruined everything.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Between not having full access to your scalp and ruining the look of your style, some folks prefer to skip cleansing altogether.
—Tatayana Yomary, Essence, 19 May 2025
Noun
Icon will release the film in the UK and Ireland
Written by Johnson and Austin Collings, Odyssey follows an ambitious real estate agent called Natasha Flynn who lives every day on the verge of total success–or ruin.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 May 2025
The question of whether the studio can still produce a solo RPG experience on the level of the false god dethronement of Morrowind or the D.C. ruin excavation of Fallout 3 remains open.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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After all, more than half of the Fortune 500 companies from 2000 no longer exist, having been bankrupted, acquired or pushed out of existence, largely due to some form of digital disruption.—
Chandra Pemmasani,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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But that only attracted sharp bettors, who nearly bankrupted the startup.—
Will Yakowicz,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea from a group of Native American activists and supporters to block a copper mining company from destroying an Apache religious site.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
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During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Verb
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Sand, breeze blocks, storm shutters—these are materials of survival and exclusion, shaped by the hurricanes that regularly devastate her homeland.—
Nargess Banks,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
-
The announcement comes after the Trump administration decided that Arkansas won't receive federal funds to repair infrastructure damaged by the March tornadoes that devastated much of north Arkansas, instead leaving it to the state and localities to pay for the clean-up.—
Neal Earley,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Now, some say artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era of creative destruction – but what exactly is being creatively destroyed, and what’s replacing it?—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
-
Significant destruction was reported in Grinnell, Kansas, where homes were flattened, roads blocked and vehicles overturned.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Lynn was involved in a car accident that left her head and body a wreck.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
20 May 2025
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After a wreck during the race involving the No. 10 Chevrolet and No. 38 Ford, Dillon was seen in a heated exchange with the Front Row Motorsports driver.—
Lydia Mee,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Filings show that as many as 58 homebuyers have been affected by the company's sudden bankruptcy filing, as reported by Realtor.com.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
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Rising Consumer Debt From a consumer standpoint, individual bankruptcy filings in March reached a level not previously seen since the Covid-19 pandemic.—
Jonathan Carson,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Noun
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What looks like productivity is often the downfall of those who refuse to delegate.—
Charles Fallon,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
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Since then, numerous videos have been circulating on social media discussing the downfall and debating the comeback of waterbeds.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 May 2025
Verb
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The council also scaled back the number of new hires the mayor proposed for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the wildfire that ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
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Numerous celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Milo Ventimiglia lost their homes in the ravaging blaze.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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