1
as in bankrupted
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroyed
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 demolished
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruined
Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Believing their beloved team already ruined mock drafting for the next two months, New York Giants fans probably hope for a loss against a Philadelphia Eagles team expected to rest starters Sunday.
—Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
On the negative side, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris ruined his team’s best shot at a playoff berth.
—Ted Nguyen, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
The Verdict on Ina's Buttermilk Pancakes Ina's pancakes have ruined other recipes for me.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2024
Collegiate sports have been ruined by the NCAA.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
The game tells the story of a future Earth long after catastrophe—in the form of an autonomous robotic swarm—has ruined the planet.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2024
There’s nothing worse than a nostalgic piece of cookware—even if placing it in the dishwasher was well-meaning—that is ruined by being loaded and washed in a dishwasher.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2024
The good news is even if the government does shut down your holiday travel plans probably won't be ruined.
—Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
And then in Joker 2, some people complained that the movie was ruined by the images on the screen and the sounds that accompanied them.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Believing their beloved team already ruined mock drafting for the next two months, New York Giants fans probably hope for a loss against a Philadelphia Eagles team expected to rest starters Sunday.
—Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
On the negative side, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris ruined his team’s best shot at a playoff berth.
—Ted Nguyen, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
The Verdict on Ina's Buttermilk Pancakes Ina's pancakes have ruined other recipes for me.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Dec. 2024
Collegiate sports have been ruined by the NCAA.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
The game tells the story of a future Earth long after catastrophe—in the form of an autonomous robotic swarm—has ruined the planet.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2024
There’s nothing worse than a nostalgic piece of cookware—even if placing it in the dishwasher was well-meaning—that is ruined by being loaded and washed in a dishwasher.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2024
The good news is even if the government does shut down your holiday travel plans probably won't be ruined.
—Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
Verb
-
In the first incident, a tornado completely destroyed the building.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2025
-
Nearly 300 homes have been damaged or destroyed in Oklahoma due to fire.—
TIME,
TIME,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Stretford End was demolished and replaced.—
Michael Walker,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The Lower Hill District was a vibrant, majority-Black neighborhood before it was controversially demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Civic Arena.—
Ryan Deto,
Axios,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The sunk cost fallacy, for example, can lead companies to continue investing in maintaining a physical office space, despite the benefits of remote work.—
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky,
Forbes,
6 Feb. 2023
-
The sunk cost fallacy is a bias that behavioral economists say can cause a person to stick with a losing investment.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
22 Mar. 2022
Verb
-
While Walking to School Bus Stop Jordan’s dad, who wasn’t in the vehicle, is devastated.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Lewis witnessed school closures that critics said devastated the South and West sides.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The venture devised by stars Tiger Woods and Rory Mcilroy was intended to launch a year ago but a storm wrecked the building.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
5 Jan. 2025
-
Knee and shoulder injuries wrecked her 2024 season, with the Tunisian speaking about needing regular knee injections to be able to play following a third-round defeat to Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon in July.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
While the raw jade material in her jewelry is from Myanmar, the finished products are imported from China.—
Hannah Lang and Judith Langowski,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
The Canadiens are not a finished product, far from it, but this represents an important step for one of the youngest teams in the league, one that had grown tired of losing and decided to do something about it.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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