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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ruin
Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Nothing will ever undo the original sin, and devoting your life to ruining someone else’s is a loss for both of you.
—Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Brittney Melton, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
In a post on X, Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat announced the attack and death toll after social media footage showed the smoldering ruin of the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
Depending on how bad the pest ruined plants in a particular latitude, the farmer either made it financially, or borrowed more from the bank to eat during the winter.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Nothing will ever undo the original sin, and devoting your life to ruining someone else’s is a loss for both of you.
—Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Noun
Al-Shalchi says many buildings, including homes and schools, lie in ruins from Israeli airstrikes.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
In a post on X, Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat announced the attack and death toll after social media footage showed the smoldering ruin of the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
-
The Nazis made 350 million pounds’ worth of counterfeit currency to try and bankrupt and flood the British economy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Crumbs went from a Nasdaq darling to bankrupt in three years.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One of his top aides, Saeed Ghasseminejad, has identified in interviews and on social media critical oil and gas infrastructure that could be destroyed in the war.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
But a staggering series of misfortunes – an arsonist destroyed her rental house; the private equity firm that owned the house still demanded two months’ rent and kept her security deposit; she was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer – forced her into tenuous housing situations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Our team found that a hospital cyberattack cut the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest without devastating brain damage by nearly 90% at nearby hospitals, not just the one that was attacked.—
Jeffrey Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Look, if this had happened in my third season playing this character, I’d be devastated.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Officials haven't been able to assess the destruction fully but the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people's homes and a Maui hospital in Kula, Green said.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Crews continued to assess the destruction Monday, but authorities said hundreds of homes had been damaged, along with some schools and a hospital.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While traditionally believed not to be a problem (unless visiting wrecks or ammo dumps), awareness is now growing that the sunken munitions could pose a serious environmental risk.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2026
-
What the now-shuttered auto dealership neglected to tell him was that the pickup had been in at least one wreck and had already changed hands three times.—
Steven Church,
Bloomberg,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The expiration of financial assistance policies from the pandemic might be compounding debt burdens, said Samantha Kehl, an attorney leading the bankruptcy team at Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.—
William Tong,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The team treats patients against a backdrop of all-too-common American societal plagues, from substance use disorder to medical bankruptcies and mass shootings.—
Christian Dameff,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Subaru enthusiasts may likely look past the vehicle’s main downfall, its subpar range and lack of refinement.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
To be fair, Titus betraying his sister does ultimately lead to his downfall, even if Ursula isn’t around to see it.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Resident Dave Levy said his basement continues to be ravaged by floods on and off over the past five years.—
Dave Savini,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
One person died after a fire ravaged a Harlem apartment building on Sunday, according to the FDNY.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
