ruined 1 of 2

adjective

as in done
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death your chances for a promotion were ruined the instance you started mouthing off to the boss

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ruined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of ruin
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroyed
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 ruined
Adjective
Sitting on the rim of his consciousness was always cataclysm, the muted whisper of a ruined world. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Verb
Three winemakers earlier this month filed suit against the owner of Hundred Acre Wines, Jayson Woodbridge, and his company alleging that smoke from the wildfire ruined their harvests, the Press Democrat reported. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Authorities in Napa County have charged a man for allegedly setting the 2025 Pickett Fire near Calistoga, which burned thousands of acres of Wine Country and ruined grape harvests because of the smoke. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 The news of the relationship almost ruined the church, which quickly began hemorrhaging members. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 The influx all but ruined Sutter’s extensive land holdings around Sacramento, originally dubbed New Helvetia. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Brentford will be hoping promising midfielder Antoni Milambo can contribute after his debut season was ruined by an ACL injury in October. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Tuesday’s second callback inspection, third inspection overall, got ruined by two dead roaches under a dry storage shelf and four live roaches in dry storage. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026 While the bride and groom were able to stay dry, Higgins told Storyful that their decorations and reception were ruined. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 But the mellow vibes are ruined when a goofy case of mistaken identity results in Frankie coming home with a briefcase containing several vials of a glowing orange goo. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruined
  1. doomed
  2. bankrupted
  3. destroyed
  4. demolished
  5. sunk
  6. ravaged
  7. shattered
  8. finished
Adjective
  • Once the film was released, critics widely praised Page’s searing performance as the doomed Greek soldier Sinon, and even some of Page’s detractors online were won over by his work.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Nor are our efforts to hire better doomed, even though the odds are stacked against us.
    — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of doomed
Verb
  • Richard Stockton, a lawyer who signed the declaration was captured, starved, and nearly bankrupted by the British.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Most manufacturers were bankrupted by equipment failures and financial challenges, making the 1990s a tough time for wind power’s pioneers.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 15 June 2026
Definition of bankrupted
Verb
  • The fire started in the 2300 block of Pickett Road and destroyed five structures, according to Cal Fire.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Almost 50 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far; there have been several injuries, and one of Tibbetts’s neighbors lost 20 German shepherds.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • Now it will be demolished and replaced as part of a $250 million sports complex project.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • After the property crisis cuts off family support, a filmmaker returns from the US to find his home demolished by a bankrupt father who once shaped Shenzhen’s skyline.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolished
Adjective
  • The train is, of course, a classic example of the perennial perils of sunk costs; abandoning the line seems absurd (even to us) given how much money would be written off.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In my experience, mid-market companies operate with leaner teams and cannot absorb the sunk costs of a multi-month implementation with room for scope creep, reworks and failures.
    — Prathamesh Bhingarde, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of sunk
Verb
  • As the portrait advances, the three men move deeper into a Europe ravaged by wars and uprisings.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Interest in Tino Livramento had been anticipated but did not come after his injury-ravaged 2025-26.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of ravaged
Verb
  • Adolf Hitler's army has been shattered, but thousands of Nazi fanatics are prepared to engage in an epic last stand.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The case against the Tates That image of impunity shattered on July 18, when US Marshals arrested the brothers outside a bare-knuckle boxing match in Miami on an extradition request from British authorities.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of shattered
Adjective
  • According to the team, the launch of 3Dirigo X marks an ongoing research phase rather than a finished product.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
  • With that and, soon enough, the end of the Civil War, construction of the red-brick fort was halted; the half-finished building is what remains today.
    — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of finished

Browse Nearby Words

ruinations
ruined
ruiner
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Cite this Entry

“Ruined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruined. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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