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Meaning & use

ruination

noun·Advancedliterary

Last updated

UK/ˌruːɪˈneɪʃən/
US/ˌruːɪˈneɪʃən/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    Complete destruction or downfall, or the process by which something is brought to that state.

    Grammar: Not used with an or a plural: the ruination of the farm.

    Patterns

    • the ruination of something
    • be the ruination of someone

    The flood meant the ruination of the family's crops.

    Gambling was his ruination, and he lost both his house and his friends.

    Critics warned that the new highway would bring the ruination of the old village.

  2. nounsingularfigurative

    A person or thing that causes someone's downfall, often described with feeling.

    Grammar: Usually follows be: she was the ruination of him.

    Patterns

    • be the ruination of someone

    Too much pride proved to be her ruination.

    Easy credit was the ruination of many young families.

    He called the casino the ruination of his hometown.

Common combinations

be the ruination of
Laziness will be the ruination of you.
financial ruination
The lawsuit threatened the company with financial ruination.
total ruination
The storm left the garden in total ruination.
lead to ruination
Poor planning led to the ruination of the expedition.
bring about ruination
Their feud brought about the ruination of the family business.

Synonyms and how they differ

ruin
Ruin is the ordinary word and can be countable; ruination sounds heavier and more dramatic.
destruction
Destruction describes physical wrecking, while ruination also covers loss of money, reputation or hope.
downfall
Downfall focuses on a fall from power or success, rather than on the damage left behind.
undoing
Undoing names the cause of someone's failure and is a little gentler in tone.

Opposites

restorationsalvation

Word family

ruin verb
to destroy or spoil completely
ruin noun
the state of being destroyed, or the remains of a building
ruined adjective
badly damaged or no longer successful
ruinous adjective
causing great damage or cost

Commonly confused: ruination or ruin?

ruination vs ruin

Ruin is the common everyday noun and verb; ruination is rarer and used mainly for dramatic effect.

Practice

The old farmer said that the dam project would be the ____ of the valley.

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