English Explanatory Dictionary

ruinous

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Causing ruin; destructive, calamitous.
  2. Extremely costly; so expensive as to cause financial ruin.
  3. Characterized by ruin; ruined; dilapidated; as, an edifice, bridge, or wall in a ruinous state.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹuː.ɪnəs/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-ruinous.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-ruinous.wav

Word forms

ruinous more ruinous most ruinous

Etymology

From Middle English ruynous, from Old French ruinos, ruineus, from Latin ruīnōsus. By surface analysis, ruin + -ous.

Synonyms

ramshackle

Derived words

ruinously ruinousness
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