ruin

[ roo-in ]

noun

1. 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.

2. a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc.
3. a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition:

   The building fell to ruin.

4. the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything.

   Synonyms: wreck, defeat, overthrow, fall

   Antonyms: creation, construction

5. the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or the like.
6. something that causes a downfall or destruction; blight:

   Alcohol was his ruin.

7. the downfall of a person; undoing:

   Fate decreed the ruin of Oedipus.

8. a person as the wreck of their former self; ravaged individual.
9. the act of causing destruction or a downfall.

verb (used with object)

1. to reduce to a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition; devastate.

   Synonyms: damage, destroy, demolish

2. to bring (a person, company, etc.) to financial destruction; bankrupt.
3. 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.

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

verb (used without object)

1. to fall into decay; fall to pieces.
2. to come to downfall or destruction.

ruin

/ ˈruːɪn /

noun

1. destroyed or decayed building or town
2. the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed
3. loss of wealth, position, etc, or something that causes such loss; downfall
4. something that is severely damaged

   his life was a ruin

5. a person who has suffered a downfall, bankruptcy, etc
6. loss of value or usefulness
7. archaic.
   loss of her virginity by a woman outside marriage

verb

1. tr to bring to ruin; destroy
2. tr to injure or spoil

   the town has been ruined with tower blocks

3. archaic.
   intr to fall into ruins; collapse

Derived Forms

• ˈruiner, noun
• ˈruinable, adjective

Other Words From

• ruin·a·ble adjective
• ruin·er noun
• half-ruined adjective
• non·ruin·a·ble adjective
• self-ruin noun
• self-ruined adjective
• un·ruin·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruin¹

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 ultimately derivative of the noun; -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruin¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see rack and ruin .

Synonym Study

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. See spoil.

Example Sentences

Slinking off to his room amid the ruins of his “collapsing life,” William knows he’s an international pariah, the poster man-child for infidelity.

From Washington Post

You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,make the community livable again.

From Time

I often point out how the ancient ruins are becoming more visible, but the girls couldn’t care less.

From Fortune

As I stood and stared at the vast ruins before me, I pressed play on my phone and found myself even more deeply transported.

From Outside Online

The Fed doesn’t seem very interested in explaining why, for example, a country as rich as ours has so many people just one step away from financial ruin — as Mary Daly’s own family was.

From Freakonomics

In the piece, Gladwell asked, “Should a charge of plagiarism ruin your life?”

From The Daily Beast

Scandal equals reputational, emotional and financial ruin—for all concerned.

From The Daily Beast

Only time will tell whether Mattel can save their premier toy from financial ruin.

From The Daily Beast

No, you are going to ruin any chance you have and give us a bad name.

From The Daily Beast

One message was clear: Capitalism is causing environmental ruin and must be stopped to save the planet from devastation.

From The 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.

From Project Gutenberg

Particularly was this the case with Davout, who since 1809 had suspected that Berthier desired to ruin his reputation.

From Project Gutenberg

Such a refusal would lead to quick enquiry—enquiry to information—information to want of confidence and speedy ruin.

From Project Gutenberg

De Castellor was now in his seat; and when Castanos came off; the Duke was stunned into stupor, overcome by the illimitable ruin.

From Project Gutenberg

As for the ruin of any other party, the idea, by a very happy dispensation, never once occurred to him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bankrupt
• crush
• decimate
• demolish
• deplete
• exhaust
• impoverish
• injure
• mar
• overwhelm
• raze
• shatter
• spoil
• wipe out
• wrack
• wreck

More About Ruin

What does ruin mean?

Ruin is most commonly used as a verb meaning to destroy or spoil.

As a noun, ruin means the remains of a destroyed or decayed place, especially a half-standing building or city. It is most commonly used in the plural, as in ancient ruins. 

Example: I feel like the once-quiet atmosphere of the ancient ruins has been ruined by the presence of too many tourists and commercial vendors.

Where does ruin come from?

The first records of ruin in English come from around the 1300s. Ruin comes from the Latin ruīna, meaning “headlong rush, fall, or collapse.” Ruīna is equivalent to the Latin verb ru(ere), ”to fall.”

The ruins of a structure or town are what remains of it after it has fallen, collapsed, been destroyed, or been left unmaintained for a long time. The word is most often used in the context of ancient ruins like those in Greece and Rome. However, ruin can also be applied to more recently abandoned structures or towns, such as a derelict factory. It can also be applied in a metaphorical way, as in My life will be a ruin if I lose you. 

As a verb, ruin can refer to the destruction of physical things, as in The earthquake ruined half the city. But it is also commonly used to refer to spoiling nonphysical things, as in If you two keep arguing, you’re going to ruin the birthday party! More specifically, it can mean “to bankrupt a person or wreck their finances,” as in A lot of people were ruined when the market crashed.  

Ruin is often used in the phrase rack and ruin. Both words actually mean about the same thing—rack means “destruction,” and is a variant of the word wrack.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to ruin?

• ruins (plural)
• ruined (adjective)
• half-ruined (adjective)
• ruinable (adjective)
• nonruinable (adjective)
• ruiner (noun)

What are some synonyms for ruin?

• destroy
• devastate
• wreckage
• bankruptcy
• bankrupt

What are some words that share a root or word element with ruin? 

 

• ruination
• ruinous

What are some words that often get used in discussing ruin?

 

• ancient
• destruction
• building
• city
• rack
• civilization

How is ruin used in real life?

As a verb, ruin is commonly used to refer to the destruction of both physical and abstract things. As a noun, it’s most often used in the plural to refer to the remains of ancient civilizations.

There seems to be a v unhelpful narrative developing among some proponents of indiscriminate tree planting that those who question this are automatically anti-tree. We’re not: we just don’t think you can ignore existing habitat and ruin it by plonking trees on top.

— Issy Bryony Hardman (@issybryonyh) March 12, 2020

It's just a bad day, not a bad life. Don't let one day ruin everything for you.

— STOKED⚡ (@StokedDaily) March 11, 2020

Take a walk through history, one monument at a time. To uncover the Roman Empire and all of its ancient ruins, ToldInStone provides this guided tour for your summer visit.https://t.co/W61VWduKbR pic.twitter.com/YMkpmmf8pE

— Tripadvisor (@TripAdvisor) August 2, 2019

 

 

Try using ruin!

Is ruin used correctly in the following sentence?

Unfortunately, this storm has ruined our plans to visit the ruins.