ruinate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
Etymology
Origin of ruinate
1530–40; < Medieval Latin ruīnātus, past participle of ruīnāre. See ruin, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Of the whole area of the estates, 3,555 acres are in pasturage, and 28,552 acres inaccessible or ruinate.
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 1, July, 1863 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various
H. Alas, for woe! alack, that so great state The malice of this world should ruinate!
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 by Hazlitt, William Carew
The accusation of a man on hearsay is nothing: would he accuse himself on passion and ruinate his case and posterity out of malice to accuse you?
From State Trials, Political and Social Volume 1 (of 2) by Stephen, Harry Lushington, Sir
Whilom Fitzwater, in fair England's court, Possess'd felicity and happy state, And in his hall blithe fortune kept her sport, Which glee one hour of woe did ruinate.
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 by Hazlitt, William Carew
And though your frames do for a time make warre Gainst Time, yet Time in time shall ruinate Your workes and names, and your last reliques marre.
From The Poetical Works of Edmund Spenser, Volume 5 by Spenser, Edmund
Here again are such stately nouns as provender and ablutions, adverbs like anew and perchance, adjectives like ruinated or commonsensical, once invaluable conjunctives like albeit.
From Time Magazine Archive
In 1619 Henrico was reported to have had but a few "old" houses, and a "ruinated" Church with some other buildings "in the Island."
From The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624 by Hatch, Charles E.
The counthry is ruinated intirely, an' so it is.
From Ireland as It Is And as It Would be Under Home Rule by Buckley, Robert John
Mr Brent, the Lamb’s next neighbour, who was one of the little army, came home with his “coat turned, and all ruinated, and not a string to his bow.”
From Robin Tremayne A Story of the Marian Persecution by Holt, Emily Sarah
True it is, that this part vnderneath remaineth at this day inhabitable, because of the corrupt aire, as also for that by time, which consumeth all things, it is greately ruinated.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 09 Asia, Part II by Hakluyt, Richard
“You have seen enough of the fishes for one morrow,” returned Barbara relentlessly; “and if the fishes could see you, they should cry shame upon you for ruinating of your raiment by the damp grass.”
From Clare Avery A Story of the Spanish Armada by Holt, Emily Sarah
And here's Mrs. Cruncher, or leastways wos in the Old England times, and would be to-morrow, if cause given, a floppin' again the business to that degree as is ruinating—stark ruinating!
From A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
