1
as in bankrupts
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ravages
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a huge fire that ruined an entire city block
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruins
Verb
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By clinging to Newtonian certainty, economics often destroys the opportunity to do something magically creative.—
Eric Markowitz,
Big Think,
30 Dec. 2024 -
Other points-counterpoints focus on whether pasteurization also destroys vitamins in milk.—
Jan Ellen Spiegel,
Hartford Courant,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Command centers and weapons storage facilities, once the backbone of its operational capabilities, have been reduced to rubble.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Those that have returned have been shocked by the devastation: their houses and belongings were mostly reduced to rubble and the signs of a humanitarian crisis are apparent on every corner.—
Camilla Alcini,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The building, a five-story apartment complex located in the southern Italian city of Bari, collapsed on Wednesday, March 5 — trapping a woman, 74, beneath the debris, Wanted in Rome — an English magazine for expats in Italy — reports, citing Italian outlet ANSA.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
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Musk brushed off the rocket mishaps, replying to a photo of himself looking at debris from one of SpaceX’s multiple early rocket failures.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Emergency crews responded to the scene, and the roadway remains closed as authorities investigate and clear the wreckage.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
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Video of the scene showed the wreckage of the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza plane engulfed in flames and dark smoke.—
Tricia Escobedo,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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