Defeat
Ruin
Ruin verb - To bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of.
Usage example: a huge fire that ruined an entire city block
Defeat is a synonym for ruin in downfall topic. You can use "Defeat" instead the word "Ruin" as a noun or a verb, if it concerns topics such as event, destruction, destroy, devastate.
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| complete | complete defeat | complete ruin |
| certain | certain defeat | certain ruin |
| utter | utter defeat | utter ruin |
| total | total defeat | total ruin |
| Other adjectives: powerful, real, massive, big, great, disastrous, ultimate, major, bloody, inevitable, imminent, eventual, earlier. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
-
In Skyrim, you find one in an ancient Dwemer ruin, and reading it in the right place gives you a vision of the dragon Alduin's first defeat.
Source: Tomes of Prophecy and Fate -
To ruin a dramatic moment, in JLA/Avengers, Superman narrowly manages to defeat Thor.
Source: Moment Killer - Would it help them in their quest to defeat the archdemon or would it ruin their chance to survive?.
Source: Fanfic Recs / Dragon Age
Cite this Source
Ruin and Defeat. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/defeat/ruin
Defeat & Ruin. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/defeat/ruin>.
Ruin or Defeat. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/defeat/ruin.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "defeat" and "ruin" have occurred on timeline