Synonyms of ruins

ruins 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ruin

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

• bankrupts
• busts
• breaks
• reduces
• impoverishes
• beggars
• wipes out
• pauperizes
• cleans (out)
• straitens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• enriches
• richens

2

as in ravages

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ravages
• destroys
• devastates
• wrecks
• scourges
• plunders
• despoils
• desolates
• shatters
• overwhelms
• obliterates
• loots
• pillages
• sacks
• wipes out
• vaporizes
• annihilates
• eradicates
• strips
• wastes
• wracks
• forays
• demolishes
• decimates
• expunges
• extirpates
• harries
• extinguishes
• nukes
• marauds
• smashes
• totals
• razes
• rubs out
• mows
• overthrows
• overruns
• overpowers
• crushes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restores
• recovers
• redeems
• repairs
• rehabilitates
• fixes
• reconditions
• mends
• patches
• revamps

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

• destroys
• demolishes
• wrecks
• shatters
• devastates
• smashes
• damages
• wastes
• overcomes
• ravages
• desolates
• annihilates
• erodes
• decimates
• razes
• vaporizes
• wracks
• extinguishes
• mars
• pulverizes
• cripples
• tears down
• pulls down
• nukes
• totals
• rubs out
• kills
• defeats
• crushes
• dismantles
• breaks
• does in
• creams
• injures
• spoils
• blasts
• masters
• removes
• conquers
• disfigures
• subdues
• disintegrates
• prevails (over)
• deteriorates
• harms
• wins (against)
• impairs
• overbears
• triumphs (over)
• dissolves
• defaces
• licks
• surmounts
• mutilates
• routs
• bests
• dynamites
• obliterates
• vitiates
• sweeps (away)
• clobbers
• despoils
• mangles
• trims
• eradicates
• overmatches
• scours
• trounces
• guts
• unmakes
• thrashes
• washes out
• exterminates
• blows up
• wipes out
• stamps (out)
• vandalizes
• plunders
• undoes
• beats
• effaces
• loots
• wears (away)
• murders
• slaughters
• scotches
• whips
• wallops
• assassinates
• extirpates
• expunges
• takes down
• roots (out)
• pillages
• tramples
• disassembles
• blots out
• cuts down
• sacks
• liquidates
• trashes
• slays
• unbuilds
• kills off
• dilapidates
• drubs
• massacres
• snuffs (out)
• mows (down)
• takes out
• dispatches
• fells
• zaps
• executes
• skunks
• butchers
• havocs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• builds
• constructs
• repairs
• raises
• doctors
• sets up
• creates
• erects
• rears
• fixes
• forms
• manufactures
• produces
• makes
• shapes
• fathers
• constitutes
• puts up
• invents
• institutes
• protects
• establishes
• preserves
• frames
• fashions
• assembles
• founds
• patches
• mends
• brings about
• saves
• reconditions
• organizes
• revamps
• restores
• conserves
• forges
• molds
• reconstructs
• fabricates
• rebuilds
• renovates
• remodels

ruins

2 of 2

noun

plural of ruin

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

• rubble
• debris
• wreckage
• remains
• remnant
• ashes
• wreck
• detritus
• residue
• flotsam
• dust
• garbage
• junk
• leavings
• litter
• rubbish
• trash
• refuse
• jetsam
• scrap
• chaff
• waste
• dross
• deadwood
• riffraff

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ruins

Verb

George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water. — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026

Nothing ruins an outfit faster than an ill-fitting bra, which is why this V-neck option caught our eye. — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Bringing these types of guys back is what ruins a team’s flexibility. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026

And that’s a bit of a problem, because nothing ruins the allure of the new and novel quite like ubiquity. — Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026

Actual Roman ruins As for those interested in seeing legitimate sites, Arya recommends Verona for an amphitheater, or Aquileia, two and a half hours northeast on Veneto’s border with Friuli. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

Nothing ruins a relationship faster than finding out your girlfriend, who’s actually the entire world, stole your frozen eggs. — Reshma Gopaldas, IndieWire, 10 Aug. 2026

When porch days turn into nights, nothing ruins the vibe of an evening gathering or solo wind-down faster than a blinding flashlight or hunting for an outlet. — Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2026

The Carhartt Mansion ruins in Rock Hill are the remains of a lavish 1909 homestead built by workwear founder Hamilton Carhartt, who once owned three miles of land along the Catawba River. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026

Noun

Archaeologists and historians tell their stories from the ambition and ingenuity that made them, to the conflict and catastrophe that transformed them into the ruins of today. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Gaza lies in ruins, with more than 74,000 Palestinians reported killed, yet many Israelis say the world overlooks their losses and rarely hear Palestinian voices. — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

There isn’t another dwelling for miles around, just the island's beautiful rolling, untouched hillside with undiscovered ancient ruins lying in wait. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

For three years, as Israeli bombs made ruins of the ground, some of the trees and vines had clung to life in the spongy layer of clay below. — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026

But a more apt comparison might be the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, in which Medieval scholars deciphered the staggering ruins of Classical Rome. — Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2026

Victoria Zardoya, Milania’s best friend since childhood, fell on July 26 while exploring historic ruins at Fort Dade on Egmont Key, Florida, and died two days later at age 20. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

The book describes trips to the archive, and then off into the ruins of the asylum, which were crumbling and also being turned into condominiums. — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026

The app’s office sits a stone’s throw away from the Liangzhu ruins, on the second floor of a gray building that used to be an elementary school in the village. — Afra Wang, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2026