ruined vs. destroyed

22:33 Mar 25, 2010 

...to maybe help you analyse the nuances of meaning better:

"they killed all the people and destroyed the village" or "...left the village in ruins"

With this active construction, it is clear that you couldn't say that "they ruined the village" — when 'to ruin' is used transitively like that, it tends (only) to have the modern meaning of 'to spoil'.

I think Christine's solution of 'left in ruins' is probably the best solution in the end.

15:26 Mar 23, 2010 

Just considering the style, no good writer would use any variation of "destroy" in that sentence because the verb appeared a few words earlier. So "left in ruins" would be much better, "ruined" a suitable but not perfect alternative, imho.

08:59 Mar 23, 2010 

If anyone would like to know more about the context, please send me a short message via my profile and I will give you relevant links an/or send a photo of the actual sign.
And, no, I am not allowed to alter the text on the sign.

08:56 Mar 23, 2010 

Many thanks for all the entries and the feedback/discussion. Please keep them coming.
Apologies for not having given more context. This was done on purpose for two reasons. Firstly, I was purely interested in the meaning and connotations/implications of the word "ruined". Secondly, I didn't want this discussion to become political nor to offend anyone. Let me just say there are circles who question what has actually happened. The recently erected sign could be construed as an attempt to water down the responsibility of the perpetrators.

04:58 Mar 23, 2010 

"destroyed" for (usually deliberate) destruction by humans, generally involving weapons.

02:13 Mar 23, 2010 

if you are allowed to change the text, I would suggest "obliterated" otherwise "destroyed"

01:44 Mar 23, 2010 

There is contemporary language and there is contemporary jargon - let us not get the two confused - the latter has a tendency to change very quickly whereas the former stays.
The media have an important role in the development of language and in the case of the use of ruined as in a ruined village, there is ample proof that the word still has currency in 21st century English. The examples here are about destruction caused by recent earthquakes in Italy, Haiti and Chile:
"We were permitted to walk through the ruined village. Cars lay crushed under collapsed walls in the narrow streets, and the smell of death hung heavy in the air." Reuters Alert 13 Apr 2009, http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/34417/2009/03/13-104738-1.h...
"Haiti's ruined streets filled with bodies, survivors and scenes of desperation" Twitter/Washington Post 14 Jan 2010 http://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/7747740799
"Piñera vows to rebuild ruined state" Financial Times 5 Mar 2010 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71644898-2877-11df-a0b1-00144feabd...

00:59 Mar 23, 2010 

You have a point. If "The village was ruined" must stand alone in the text, then "ruined" could indeed be a poor choice. However, if the extent of the destruction will be described in further detail, I think it's completely appropriate; and I still think the word can convey much more than merely physical destruction. Besides, "ruined" conveys an idea of irreparability, which I think is crucial in this context, as the community never recovered. Destruction can be followed by reconstruction; ruins just become a part of history...

00:54 Mar 23, 2010 

If you think 'village' means the physical structures of the village, then 'ruined' is perfect: we might well say "all the people were massacred and the village ruined"

However, if you consider the village as being the abstract entity that encompasses the physical buildings and the people who live there, the totality of the community, then 'ruined' sits awkwardly, and I would indeed prefer something like' wiped out'.

00:14 Mar 23, 2010 

The word ruined brings to mind ruins like the ruins of Pompei -- a totally destroyed city. So in that sense the word is appropriate. However it does sound wrong in this context because you normally talk about ancient ruins, the ruins being part of an entire culture of which there is now nothing left but the ruins. In the context of one village, destroyed sounds better. "The village was utterly destroyed" is a way of expressing total devastation.