Advertisement
Advertisement
ruin
[ roo-in ]
noun
- 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.
- a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc.
- a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition:
The building fell to ruin.
- the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything.
Synonyms: , , ,
Antonyms: ,
- the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or the like.
- something that causes a downfall or destruction; blight:
Alcohol was his ruin.
- the downfall of a person; undoing:
Fate decreed the ruin of Oedipus.
- a person as the wreck of their former self; ravaged individual.
- the act of causing destruction or a downfall.
verb (used with object)
- to reduce to a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition; devastate.
Synonyms: , ,
- to bring (a person, company, etc.) to financial destruction; bankrupt.
- 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.
- Older Use. to induce (a woman) to surrender her virginity; deflower.
verb (used without object)
- to fall into decay; fall to pieces.
- to come to downfall or destruction.
ruin
/ ˈ°ù³ÜËɪ²Ô /
noun
- destroyed or decayed building or town
- the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed
- loss of wealth, position, etc, or something that causes such loss; downfall
- something that is severely damaged
his life was a ruin
- a person who has suffered a downfall, bankruptcy, etc
- loss of value or usefulness
- archaic.loss of her virginity by a woman outside marriage
verb
- tr to bring to ruin; destroy
- tr to injure or spoil
the town has been ruined with tower blocks
- archaic.intr to fall into ruins; collapse
Derived Forms
- ˈ°ù³Ü¾±²Ô±ð°ù, noun
- ˈ°ù³Ü¾±²Ô²¹²ú±ô±ð, adjective
Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms
- °ù³Üi²Ô·²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð adjective
- °ù³Üi²Ô·±ð°ù noun
- ³ó²¹±ô´Ú-°ù³Üi²Ô±ð»å adjective
- non·°ù³Üi²Ô·²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð adjective
- ²õ±ð±ô´Ú-°ù³Üi²Ô noun
- ²õ±ð±ô´Ú-°ù³Üi²Ôed adjective
- un·°ù³Üi²Ô·²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð adjective
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of ruin1
Idioms and Phrases
see rack and ruin .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
The hosts of "Girls Gone Bible" frequently speak about "staying pure," telling their followers that sex before marriage "ruins lives" and that "modesty is very important" if women wish to avoid appearing "promiscuous."
Norris made a couple of mistakes on his first run on the medium tyre, and his opening lap on the soft tyre was ruined by an error at the chicane.
Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will travel to Thailand for a regional summit as his country reels from an earthquake that killed thousands and left cities in ruins.
Dozens of rounds have been ruined on this most picturesque of holes.
"Her education was ruined and she has suffered severe psychiatric injury for the rest of her life," she added.
Advertisement
Related ˜yÐÄvlogs
More About Ruin
What doesÌýruin 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.Ìý
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 doesÌýruin come from?
The first records of ruin in English come from around the 1300s. Ruin comes from the Latin °ù³ÜÄ«²Ô²¹, meaning “headlong rush, fall, or collapse.†¸é³ÜÄ«²Ô²¹ is equivalent to the Latin verb ru(ere), â€to fall.â€
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.Ìý
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.ÌýÌý
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?
What are some words that share a root or word element with ruin?Ìý
Ìý
What are some words that often get used in discussing ruin?
Ìý
How isÌýruin 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)
It's just a bad day, not a bad life. Don't let one day ruin everything for you.
— STOKED⚡ (@StokedDaily)
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.
— Tripadvisor (@TripAdvisor)
Ìý
Ìý
Try usingÌýruin!
Is ruin used correctly in the following sentence?
Unfortunately, this storm has ruined our plans to visit the ruins.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse