ruinous
adjective /ˈruːɪnəs/
/ˈruːɪnəs/
(formal)- costing a lot of money and more than you can afford
- ruinous legal fees
- They were forced to sell out at a ruinous loss.
- causing serious problems or damage synonym devastating
- The decision was to prove ruinous.
- Such action would be ruinous to her career.
- a ruinous mistake
- (of a town, building, etc.) destroyed or severely damaged
- The buildings were in a ruinous state.
- This part of the church is ruinous.
Word Originlate Middle English (also in the sense ‘falling down’): from Latin ruinosus, from ruina, from ruere ‘to fall’.