Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for ripe

ripe

[ rahyp ]

adjective

, rip·er, rip·est.
  1. having arrived at such a stage of growth or development as to be ready for reaping, gathering, eating, or use, as grain or fruit; completely matured.

    Synonyms: aged, grown

  2. resembling such fruit, as in ruddiness and fullness:

    ripe, red lips.

  3. advanced to the point of being in the best condition for use, as cheese or beer.
  4. fully grown or developed, as animals when ready to be killed and used for food.
  5. arrived at the highest or a high point of development or excellence; mature.
  6. of mature judgment or knowledge:

    ripe scholars; a ripe mind.

  7. characterized by full development of body or mind:

    of ripe years.

  8. (of time) advanced:

    a ripe old age.

  9. (of ideas, plans, etc.) ready for action, execution, etc.
  10. (of people) fully prepared or ready to do or undergo something:

    He was ripe for a change in jobs.

  11. fully or sufficiently advanced; ready enough; auspicious:

    The time is ripe for a new foreign policy.

  12. ready for some operation or process:

    a ripe abscess.

  13. Archaic. drunk:

    reeling ripe.



ripe

/ raɪp /

adjective

  1. (of fruit, grain, etc) mature and ready to be eaten or used; fully developed
  2. mature enough to be eaten or used

    ripe cheese

  3. fully developed in mind or body
  4. resembling ripe fruit, esp in redness or fullness

    a ripe complexion

  5. postpositivefoll byfor ready or eager (to undertake or undergo an action)
  6. postpositivefoll byfor suitable; right or opportune

    the time is not yet ripe

  7. mature in judgment or knowledge
  8. advanced but healthy (esp in the phrase a ripe old age )
  9. slang.
    1. complete; thorough
    2. excessive; exorbitant
  10. slang.
    slightly indecent; risqué
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈripely, adverb
  • ˈripeness, noun
Discover More

Other Words From

  • ripely adverb
  • ripeness noun
  • half-ripe adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ripe1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English rīpe; cognate with Dutch rijp, German reif; akin to Old English ripan “to harvest, reap”; reap
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ripe1

Old English rīpe ; related to Old Saxon rīpi , Old High German rīfi , German reif
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with ripe , also see time is ripe .
Discover More

Synonym Study

Ripe, mature, mellow refer to that which is no longer in an incomplete stage of development. Ripe implies completed growth beyond which the processes of decay begin: a ripe banana. Mature means fully grown and developed as used of living organisms: a mature animal; a mature tree. Mellow denotes complete absence of sharpness or asperity, with sweetness and richness such as characterize ripeness or age: mellow fruit; mellow flavor.
Discover More

Example Sentences

And “Master of Me” is her second book; she published her first, “I Don’t Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice,” at the ripe ol’ age of 21.

The conditions were ripe for disaster, and neighborhoods had few defenses.

Once that glue came unstuck, he said, the party was ripe for defeat.

From BBC

By artist, screenwriter and director Alex Prager, it reads: “Los Angeles is still the wild west. There’s no plan or rules dictating what you can or can’t do. It’s a city ripe with endless possibilities.”

He didn’t state outright that the qui tam provision is unconstitutional, only suggested that it would be a ripe issue for some other lawsuit.

Advertisement

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


rip currentripen