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: causing or tending to cause ruin
ruinously
adverb
ruinousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of ruinous in a Sentence
The house has fallen into a ruinous state.
a ruinous miscalculation of the financial markets left them bankrupt
Recent Examples on the Web
Sabbah, the journalist, used to smoke 30 cigarettes a day, but said ruinous prices have kept his addiction at bay — if only temporarily.
—
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Those ticket sales would be ruinous for the big-budget tentpole, though Costner and distributor Warner Bros. are counting on the film to break out in America’s heartland.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 25 June 2024
Revolution, war and mass graves That summer, Iran was nearing the end of a ruinous eight-year war launched by its neighbor Iraq.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024
Yet whether the country’s democracy is… Georgia’s Electoral Unknowns
Despite ruinous political clashes and the shadow of Russia lurking in the background, Georgia’s elections look set to be a largely smooth affair.
—Michael Cecire, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruinous 
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Those ticket sales would be ruinous for the big-budget tentpole, though Costner and distributor Warner Bros. are counting on the film to break out in America’s heartland.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 25 June 2024
Revolution, war and mass graves That summer, Iran was nearing the end of a ruinous eight-year war launched by its neighbor Iraq.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 20 May 2024
Yet whether the country’s democracy is… Georgia’s Electoral Unknowns
Despite ruinous political clashes and the shadow of Russia lurking in the background, Georgia’s elections look set to be a largely smooth affair.
—Michael Cecire, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruinous
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruinous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ruinous
Cite this Entry
“Ruinous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruinous. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ruinous
adjective
ru·in·ous
ˈrü-ə-nəs 
: causing or tending to cause ruin : destructive
ruinously
adverb
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