ruinous
English
Etymology
From Middle English ruynous, from Old French ruinos, ruineus, from Latin ruīnōsus; surface analysis ruin + -ous.
Pronunciation
Adjective
ruinous (comparative more ruinous, superlative most ruinous)
- Causing ruin; destructive, calamitous
- Extremely costly; so expensive as to cause financial ruin.
- They were forced to completely replace the roof at ruinous expense.
- Characterized by ruin; ruined; dilapidated; as, an edifice, bridge, or wall in a ruinous state.
Synonyms
- (characterized by ruin): See Thesaurus:ramshackle
Derived terms
Translations
destructive
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Further reading
- “ruinous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “ruinous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “ruinous”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.