ruin

[ roo-in ]

/ ˈru ɪn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: ruin / ruined / ruining / ruins on Thesaurus.com

noun

ruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay:We visited the ruins of ancient Greece.

a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc.

a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition: The building fell to ruin.

the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything.

the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or the like.

something that causes a downfall or destruction; blight: Alcohol was his ruin.

the downfall of a person; undoing: the ruin of Oedipus.

a person as the wreck of his or her former self; ravaged individual.

the act of causing destruction or a downfall.

verb (used with object)

to reduce to ruin; devastate.

to bring (a person, company, etc.) to financial ruin; bankrupt.

to damage, spoil, or injure (a thing) irretrievably: Not only was the burned stew inedible, but I had absolutely ruined one of my favorite pots.

to induce (a woman) to surrender her virginity; deflower.

verb (used without object)

to fall into ruins; fall to pieces.

to come to ruin.

OTHER WORDS FOR ruin

4 fall, overthrow, defeat, wreck.

10 demolish, destroy, damage.

See synonyms for ruin on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR ruin

4 construction, creation.

See antonyms for ruin on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ruin

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English noun rueyne, ruyen, from Middle French ruwine, from Latin ruīna “headlong rush, fall, collapse,” equivalent to ruere “to fall” + -īna feminine singular of suffix -īnus ; verb ruyn, ruine, from Middle French ruyner, ruiner or directly from Medieval Latin ruīnāre, derivative of Latin ruīna; see -ine²

synonym study for ruin

3. Ruin, destruction, havoc imply irrevocable and often widespread damage. Destruction may be on a large or small scale ( destruction of tissue, of enemy vessels ); it emphasizes particularly the act of destroying, while ruin and havoc emphasize the resultant state. Ruin, from the verb meaning to fall to pieces, suggests a state of decay or disintegration (or an object in that state) that is apt to be more the result of the natural processes of time and change than of sudden violent activity from without: The house has fallen to ruins. Only in its figurative application is it apt to suggest the result of destruction from without: the ruin of her hopes. Havoc, originally a cry that served as the signal for pillaging, has changed its reference from that of spoliation to devastation, being used particularly of the destruction following in the wake of natural calamities: the havoc wrought by flood and pestilence. Today it is used figuratively to refer to the destruction of hopes and plans: This sudden turn of events played havoc with her carefully laid designs. 10. See spoil.

OTHER WORDS FROM ruin

ru·in·a·ble, adjectiveru·in·er, nounhalf-ruined, adjectivenon·ru·in·a·ble, adjective

self-ruin, nounself-ruined, adjectiveun·ru·in·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ruin in a sentence

The resulting ruin is spectacular — and a sobering reminder that nature’s flux, its evolution, can change speed without notice.
Sculpture parks are a great way to see art during a pandemic. Here’s why some are better than others.|Sebastian Smee|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
The cause this time is a scandal over child benefits payments, in which the Dutch tax office mistakenly pursued thousands of families for the repayment of “fraudulent” claims, causing financial ruin for many.
Europe is also having a crazy start to the year|David Meyer|January 15, 2021|Fortune
Though he missed the Civil War while studying art in Europe, Valentine returned home to the ruins of Richmond in 1865 and shaped the way generations would view that era of American history.
Richmond sculptor Edward Valentine created many of the statues that defined Lost Cause mythology. Now his family’s museum is confronting the legacy.|Gregory S. Schneider|January 2, 2021|Washington Post
The marble staircase was “in ruins and we went up chiefly by holding on to the iron railing and putting our feet between the rungs,” she wrote in a letter published in the May 25, 1906 Science.
How passion, luck and sweat saved some of North America’s rarest plants|Susan Milius|November 5, 2020|Science News

Stepping delicately from boulder to boulder, I found myself impressed with the multistory ruins and wondering what life in the high cliffs might have been like centuries ago.
Travel Back in Time at Mesa Verde|Emily Pennington|September 27, 2020|Outside Online
Sometimes the ads would get in the way of playing, and a perfectly lined up shot would be ruined.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The real hackers—whoever they may prove to be—had pulled off a feat: they ruined a Hollywood fete.
Sony Hack: A Dictator Move?|Kevin Bleyer|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He said, “war ruined my life,” and told me an absolutely horrific war story.
The Veteran Who Took Home the National Book Award|Jacob Siegel|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The guru Rampal is in custody after a deadly battle at his ruined ashram.
Is India’s Fallen ‘God-Man’ So Different From a Megachurch Pastor?|Jay Michaelson|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, Cooke can never really bring himself to see Joplin as ruined by the limelight.
Janis Joplin’s Kozmic Blues|William O’Connor|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You need but will, and it is done; but if you relax your efforts, you will be ruined; for ruin and recovery are both from within.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Meanwhile the cabal against the ruined Ripperda raged with redoubled fury in the Spanish cabinet.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
At the very commencement of the campaign Massna committed a fault which almost ruined his career.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Before Ulm he nearly ruined Napoleon's combination by failing to get in contact with the enemy.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
In Ireland they have palpably and greatly benefited every class but the stockholders, and these they have well nigh ruined.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for ruin

ruin

/ (ˈruːɪn) /

noun

destroyed or decayed building or town

the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed

loss of wealth, position, etc, or something that causes such loss; downfall

something that is severely damagedhis life was a ruin

a person who has suffered a downfall, bankruptcy, etc

loss of value or usefulness

archaic loss of her virginity by a woman outside marriage

verb

(tr) to bring to ruin; destroy

(tr) to injure or spoilthe town has been ruined with tower blocks

(intr) archaic, or poetic to fall into ruins; collapse

Derived forms of ruin

ruinable, adjectiveruiner, noun

Word Origin for ruin

C14: from Old French ruine, from Latin ruīna a falling down, from ruere to fall violently

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ruin

ruin

see rack and ruin.

ruin

OTHER WORDS FOR ruin

OPPOSITES FOR ruin

Origin of ruin

synonym study for ruin

OTHER WORDS FROM ruin

Words related to ruin

How to use ruin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ruin

Derived forms of ruin

Word Origin for ruin

Other Idioms and Phrases with ruin