ruin

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. destruction, downfall, perdition; wreck, remains, relic.

See failure, remainder. — v. t. wreck, raze, demolish; impoverish, seduce, etc. See impurity, poverty.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [The act of destruction]

Syn. extinction, demolition, overthrow; see destruction 1 , wreck 1 .

2. [A building fallen into decay]

Syn. wreck, vestige, remains, rubble; see ruins , wreck 2 .

3. [The state of destruction]

Syn. dilapidation, waste, wreck; see destruction 2 .

See Synonym Study at destruction . Syn.- ruin implies a state of decay, disintegration, etc. especially through such natural processes as age and weather [ the barn is in a state of ruin] ; destruction implies annihilation or demolition, as by fire, explosion, flood, etc. [ the destruction of the village in an air raid ] ; havoc suggests total destruction or devastation, as following an earthquake or hurricane [ the storm wreaked havoc along the coast ] ; dilapidation implies a state of ruin or shabbiness resulting from neglect [ the dilapidation of a deserted house ] v.

1. [To destroy]

Syn. injure, overthrow, demolish; see destroy 1 , ravage .

2. [To cause to become bankrupt]

Syn. impoverish, bankrupt, beggar, reduce, pauperize, fleece, make penniless, bring to destitution, bring to want, drain, exhaust, wreck, break, bust*, clean out*, cook one's goose*, do in*, do for*, wipe out*.

Ant. help*, pay, fund.

3. [To destroy chastity]

Syn. rape, despoil, ravish; see rape .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. remains of a collapsed or decayed building or city remnants, wreckage, vestige, relics, debris, rubble. ''Time s slow finger written in the dust. —Anna Barbauld.

2. destruction downfall, collapse, ruination, undoing, failure, decay, devastation, doom, fall, desolation, skids, extinction, Waterloo.

II

v.

destroy, wreck, devastate, wipe out, demolish, decimate, desolate, smash, crush, lay waste, bankrupt, defeat.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. The act of destroying or state of being destroyed: bane, destruction, devastation, havoc, ruination, undoing, wrack1, wreck, wreckage. See HELP, LEFTOVER. 2. Something that causes total loss or severe impairment, as of one's health, fortune, honor, or hopes: bane, destroyer, destruction, downfall, ruination, undoing, wrecker. See HELP. 3. The remains of something destroyed, disintegrated, or decayed: debris, rubble, wrack2, wreck, wreckage. See LEFTOVER. II verb 1. To cause the complete ruin or wreckage of: bankrupt, break down, cross up, demolish, destroy, finish, shatter, sink, smash, spoil, torpedo, undo, wash up, wrack2, wreck. Slang: total. Idiom: put the kibosh on. See HELP. 2. To make or become unusable or inoperative: break, fail. Slang: bust. See HELP. 3. To impair severely something such as the spirit, health, or effectiveness of: break, crush, destroy, overwhelm. See HELP. 4. To reduce to financial insolvency: bankrupt, break, bust, impoverish, pauperize. Slang: clean out. See MONEY.