ruinous
[roo-uh-nuh s]
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Origin of ruinous
Synonyms
See more synonyms for ruinous on Thesaurus.com1. calamitous, ravaging, devastating, catastrophic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ruinous
Contemporary Examples
When the mines closed, decades of labor and planning were destroyed after half a life of ruinous work.
Apart from anything else, protectionism would be ruinous to developing countries.
I believe that the future of liberalism—and much else—depends on our overcoming this ruinous self-deception.
One Night in Paris In another era, a sex tape would have been ruinous to any aspiring starlet.
He sees the adventure as ruinous, both in terms of fiscal and foreign policy.
Historical Examples
This was effected, and the ruinous city was in the hands of the French.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward IICharlotte Mary Yonge
But the aims of states should be good, or else, like the prayer of Theseus, they may be ruinous to themselves.
LawsPlato
Truly it is not a ruinous service, Socrates (he answered)—far from it.
The SymposiumXenophon
Nothing is so ruinous; and just at the moment when you want them, they will not be forthcoming.
The SportsmanXenophon
This series was published in 1735, and the church was then in a ruinous condition.
Hampstead and MaryleboneGeraldine Edith Mitton
ruinous
- causing, tending to cause, or characterized by ruin or destructiona ruinous course of action
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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
Word Origin and History for ruinous
adj.
late 14c., "going to ruin," from Old French ruinos (Modern French ruineux) or directly from Latin ruinosus "tumbling down, going to ruin," from ruina (see ruin (n.)). Meaning "causing ruin" is from mid-15c. Related: Ruinously.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper