Ruinous

  • 1ruinous — ru‧in‧ous [ˈruːnəs] adjective 1. causing great damage to something: • a ruinous civil war 2. FINANCE costing a lot more than you can afford: • the prospect of ruinous legal costs ruinously adverb …

    Financial and business terms

  • 2Ruinous — Ru in*ous, a. [L. ruinosus: cf. F. ruineux. See {Ruin}.] 1. Causing, or tending to cause, ruin; destructive; baneful; pernicious; as, a ruinous project. [1913 Webster] After a night of storm so ruinous. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Characterized by… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3ruinous — [ro͞o′ə nəs] adj. [ME ruinouse < L ruinosus] 1. falling or fallen into ruin; dilapidated; decayed 2. bringing or tending to bring ruin; very destructive or harmful; disastrous [ruinous floods] ruinously adv. ruinousness n …

    English World dictionary

  • 4ruinous — index adverse (negative), bad (offensive), deadly, deleterious, diabolic, dire, disastrous …

    Law dictionary

  • 5ruinous — late 14c., from Fr. ruineux or directly from L. ruinosus, from ruina (see RUIN (Cf. ruin)). Related: Ruinously …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 6ruinous — [adj] disastrous, devastating annihilative, baleful, baneful, calamitous, cataclysmic, catastrophic, crippling, damaging, deadly, deleterious, depleting, dire, draining, exhausting, extravagant, fatal, fateful, harmful, hurtful, immoderate,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 7ruinous — ► ADJECTIVE 1) disastrous or destructive. 2) in ruins; dilapidated. DERIVATIVES ruinously adverb …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8ruinous — ru|in|ous [ˈru:ınəs] adj 1.) causing a lot of damage or problems ▪ a ruinous civil war 2.) costing much more than you can afford ▪ ruinous rates of interest 3.) formal a building that is ruinous has been almost completely destroyed = ↑ruined ▪ an …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 9ruinous — [[t]ru͟ːɪnəs[/t]] 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n If you describe the cost of something as ruinous, you mean that it costs far more money than you can afford or than is reasonable. Many Britons will still fear the potentially ruinous costs of their legal… …

    English dictionary

  • 10ruinous — ruinously, adv. ruinousness, n. /rooh euh neuhs/, adj. 1. bringing or tending to bring ruin; destructive; disastrous: a ruinous war. 2. fallen into ruin; dilapidated: a ruinous house. 3. consisting of ruins: a ruinous city from antiquity. [1350… …

    Universalium