ruinator

9.9

Someone or something that causes great damage

noun

: destructor

The fire was the ruinator of the old library.

Examples

Pollution is often viewed as a ruinator of marine life.
The storm was a true ruinator of the coastal town.
Many saw the new policy as a potential ruinator of small businesses.
Time can be the silent ruinator of even the strongest buildings.
Many consider war to be a ruinator of peace.
The new factory was seen as a ruinator of the natural landscape.
Many believe that neglect can act as a ruinator of cultural heritage.

Synonyms

destroyer

vsruinator

43 5.5

A person or thing that causes great damage

expresses the same ruining role but in broader, everyday terms

saboteur

vsruinator

19 8.3

A person who damages things on purpose to hurt a group or country

can cause ruin but is not limited to intentional political actions

wrecker

vsruinator

15 7.4

A person who damages property on purpose to cause trouble

causes ruin more generally, not always by deliberate sabotage

annihilator

vsruinator

3 8.5

A person or thing that completely destroys something

means causing ruin but not necessarily total annihilation

ruiner

vsruinator

2 7.9

A person or thing that destroys something

focuses on causing ruin specifically rather than general decay

defiler

vsruinator

2 9.0

A person or group who damages nature by polluting

covers causing ruin generally beyond environmental pollution

destructor

vsruinator

1 7.4

A person or thing that causes a lot of damage to something

is the general agent of ruin without specifying method

eradicator

vsruinator

1 6.5

A person or thing that completely removes something unwanted

covers causing ruin broadly, not only total removal

pulverizer

vsruinator

1 8.2

A person or thing that defeats others very easily and completely

means causing ruin more broadly, not just crushing defeat

ravager

vsruinator

1 8.0

A person or thing that causes a lot of damage

captures ruin but may be less focused on large-scale violence

waster

vsruinator

1 7.0

A person who destroys things or causes a lot of damage

is similar but can apply to milder or partial ruin

defacer

vsruinator

1 7.5

A person who damages public walls and buildings by writing or painting on them

is broader, applying to ruin beyond surface or visual damage

obliterator

vsruinator

1 9.9

Someone or something that destroys things completely so nothing remains

covers causing ruin without requiring total erasure of traces

damager

vsruinator

1 4.9

A person or thing that causes harm to people and property

implies causing ruin more completely or ultimately

disintegrator

vsruinator

1 8.4

Something that makes a group of people stop working together

causes ruin but does not require physical breaking apart

demolisher

vsruinator

1 6.8

A person or thing that beats others completely in a contest

focuses on causing ruin literally or figuratively without contest

desolator

vsruinator

1 9.1

A person or thing that destroys and leaves a place empty

means causing ruin generally without emphasizing emptiness

undoer

vsruinator

9.9

A person or thing that causes ruin

expresses ruin similarly but with broader destructive actions

Apollyon

vsruinator

Literature

9.9

A person or thing that causes great destruction

is the ordinary term for a person or thing causing ruin

corruptor

vsruinator

Specialized

7.9

A substance that makes food or materials go bad

means causing ruin but not limited to physical decay processes

How Destructive

annihilator

3 8.5

ruinator

9.9

destroyer

43 5.5

troublemaker

Offensive

61 4.1

nuisance

62 3.6

Surface Forms

ruinator singular

ruinators plural

Morphology

ruinator = ruin (semi-transparent) = ruin + ator

Formed from the verb 'ruin' plus the agentive suffix '-ator'; the base meaning is clear but '-ator' is formal/less familiar to average learners.

Etymology

Ruinator comes from the same root as the common word ruin, from the Latin 'ruina' meaning 'a fall' or 'collapse', and the ending -ator marks 'one who does' the action. So a ruinator is 'one who causes ruin', something that brings destruction or collapse.