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
Examples 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 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
-
Of the 58 Leopard 1s the Ukrainians received between July 2023 and early September, just six have been confirmed destroyed.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
-
They were just destroyed by the critics in the press, for some reason.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
When the government has demolished shantytowns, citizens have been relocated, but undocumented immigrants have not, UNICEF said.—
Julie Bourdin,
New York Times,
25 Dec. 2024
-
Finally, the wall that had the last remaining barely visible image of Christ was demolished.—
Noe Padilla,
The Indianapolis Star,
24 Dec. 2024
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
-
The 2025 edition of Fight for the Fallen was held to support victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the Asheville area in September 2024.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
4 Jan. 2025
-
In August, he and his wife were devastated when their only child, Selena, age 19, was killed in a car crash in Canada.—
William Roberson,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 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
-
Compared to natural peanut butter, which often has an oily layer that can affect the finished product of baked goods, Skippy’s recipe includes a couple ingredients to prevent separation.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2025
-
In addition, the Entrant waives all claims to compensation or damages based on the use of the Media by Gannett for this Contest, and waives any right to inspect or approve any finished product or products or the use to which the Media may be used for the Contest.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ruined
Cite this Entry
“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share