Ruinous
mediumROO-ih-nus
adjective
Definition
Disastrous; causing great damage or destruction
Examples
“The ruinous war devastated the economy.”
“His ruinous spending habits led to bankruptcy.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Categories
GRE Tip
Ruinous is a medium-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "devastating" or "catastrophic" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "beneficial".
Related GRE Words
catastrophic
Involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering
apocalyptic
Describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world
calamitous
Involving or causing a calamity; disastrous
destructive
Causing great damage or harm; highly damaging
baneful
Causing harm or ruin; pernicious; destructive
pernicious
Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
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