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

39 5.5

A person or thing that causes great damage

expresses the same ruining role but in broader, everyday terms

saboteur

vsruinator

20 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

9 7.4

A person who damages property on purpose to cause trouble

causes ruin more generally, not always by deliberate sabotage

annihilator

vsruinator

5 8.5

A person or thing that completely destroys something

means causing ruin but not necessarily total annihilation

defiler

vsruinator

4 9.0

A person or group who damages nature by polluting

covers causing ruin generally beyond environmental pollution

ruiner

vsruinator

3 7.9

A person or thing that destroys something

focuses on causing ruin specifically rather than general decay

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

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

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

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

disintegrator

vsruinator

1 8.4

Something that makes a group of people stop working together

causes ruin but does not require physical breaking apart

obliterator

vsruinator

9.9

Someone or something that destroys things completely so nothing remains

covers causing ruin without requiring total erasure of traces

eradicator

vsruinator

6.5

A person or thing that completely removes something unwanted

covers causing ruin broadly, not only total removal

desolator

vsruinator

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

damager

vsruinator

4.9

A person or thing that causes harm to people and property

implies causing ruin more completely or ultimately

corruptor

vsruinator

Specialized

7.9

A substance that makes food or materials go bad

means causing ruin but not limited to physical decay processes

defacer

vsruinator

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

How Destructive

annihilator

5 8.5

ruinator

9.9

destroyer

39 5.5

troublemaker

Offensive

69 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.