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
I only wanted the ole folks here to be satisfied as the gal had no right to my ole man, and would only ruinate herself, if she took him.”
From Her Mother's Secret by Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
Mad, man, at my state, That cannot raise true honour ruinate.
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 8 by Hazlitt, William Carew
The easy gods, mov'd by no other fate Than our own pray'rs, whole kingdoms ruinate, And undo families: thus strife, and war Are the sword's prize, and a litigious bar The gown's prime wish.
From Poems of Henry Vaughan, Silurist, Volume II by Chambers, E. K. (Edmund Kerchever)
Time ill-consum'd to ruinate our house; But what are they that keep him company?
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 9 by Various
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
Robert de Louthorp, is now partly ruinated, the tower and chancel being almost entirely overgrown with ivy.
From The Bay State Monthly — Volume 2, No. 3, December, 1884 by Various
A jug o’ buthermilk was capsized ower the widdy Magee’s bran new dress, that was made for the hanging precesely, and ruinated it pretty considerably intirely.
From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old
A person of my family had a ruinated Miss Wilmot of all hope; she never could have justice and right done her now; that was impossable.
From The Adventures of Hugh Trevor by Holcroft, Thomas
I'm ruinated for a fact; I might as well be in hell as in Maryland.'
From Duffels by Eggleston, Edward
“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.
