1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt
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2
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
a ruinous windstorm destroyed the crops
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruinous
But Whitney’s own ruinous investments and personal demons set him on a collision course with his brother George, the gatekeeper to J.P. Morgan, who is the key to preventing the crash.
—
Leia Mendoza, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
And so one of Rothstein’s protégés, Dutch Schultz—who, thanks to the layoff networks, had access to ready cash—began lending to the Harlem numbers bankers, at ruinous rates.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Her ruinous policies are the cause of the 12 percent increase in electric rates, not MAGA voters.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Refusing until last summer to acknowledge the toll time inevitably extracts inflicted ruinous paralysis on the Democrats.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Leia Mendoza, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
And so one of Rothstein’s protégés, Dutch Schultz—who, thanks to the layoff networks, had access to ready cash—began lending to the Harlem numbers bankers, at ruinous rates.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Her ruinous policies are the cause of the 12 percent increase in electric rates, not MAGA voters.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025
Refusing until last summer to acknowledge the toll time inevitably extracts inflicted ruinous paralysis on the Democrats.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruinous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruinous
Adjective
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Schools’ failure to follow IEPs has resulted in disastrous cases of educational neglect for students like Makenley and Maddox O’Connor.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
8 Sep. 2025
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The New York Jets sent that message to Rodgers following a disastrous two-year term.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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His activism was sparked by the devastating floods and rains in Uganda.—
Aniebiet Ntui,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Video of the fatal attack showed Kirk speaking to a large crowd of people on the university campus as a shot rings out.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Though Kirk's visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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After my long flight home, I was relieved that the late-night visitor turned out to be nothing more than city workers on the job (and their job in this case, while surprising, didn't turn out to be too destructive).—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
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Just two days later, Tropical Storm Chantal triggered destructive and deadly floods in a narrow strip of North Carolina.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Legislators should realize that a simple law meant to avert potential catastrophic risks seems like an existential risk to those who oppose it.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Fire is the most catastrophic event possible on a yacht, a plane, or a car.—
Rachel Ingram,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruinous. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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