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

Other Word Forms

• ruiner noun
• ruinable adjective
• half-ruined adjective
• nonruinable adjective
• self-ruin noun
• self-ruined adjective
• unruinable 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

“Let the guilty rejoice and go unpunished, and the innocent suffer ruin and desolation,” she replies.

From Los Angeles Times

There is now a heap of stuffed toys in the ruins, and photographs.

From BBC

"I was luckier than some of my colleagues who I know have had their lives ruined by these legal processes."

From BBC

Until that changes, such discriminatory attitudes will continue to ruin lives.

From BBC

"When I took the project on, the hall was just a few years from completely falling down and becoming a ruin," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.