ripe

[ rahyp ]

/ raɪp /

adjective, rip·er, rip·est.

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.

resembling such fruit, as in ruddiness and fullness: ripe, red lips.

advanced to the point of being in the best condition for use, as cheese or beer.

fully grown or developed, as animals when ready to be killed and used for food.

arrived at the highest or a high point of development or excellence; mature.

of mature judgment or knowledge: ripe scholars; a ripe mind.

characterized by full development of body or mind: of ripe years.

(of time) advanced: a ripe old age.

(of ideas, plans, etc.) ready for action, execution, etc.

(of people) fully prepared or ready to do or undergo something: He was ripe for a change in jobs.

fully or sufficiently advanced; ready enough; auspicious: The time is ripe for a new foreign policy.

ready for some operation or process: a ripe abscess.

Archaic. drunk: reeling ripe.

Origin of ripe

before 900; Middle English; Old English rīpe; cognate with Dutch rijp, German reif; akin to Old English ripan to reap

SYNONYMS FOR ripe

1 grown, aged. 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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ripe ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM ripe

ripe·ly, adverb ripe·ness, noun half-ripe, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ripe

rife ripe (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby ripe

rip-rap, rip-roaring, riparian, riparian right, ripcord, ripe, ripe old age, ripe rot, ripen, ripidolite, ripieno

Example sentences from the Web for ripe

The time is ripe—and right—for action to begin that would divest Russia of the World Cup and award it to another nation.

Putin’s World Cup Picasso ‘Bribe’ |Tunku Varadarajan |December 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Police sources informed Reforma that both action are considered “high risk” and ripe for “anarchist infiltration.”

Mexican Protesters Look to Start a New Revolution |Jason McGahan |November 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In 1968, at the ripe age of 14, I was at the Miami convention carrying my Rockefeller sign on the convention floor.

This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art |Scott Porch |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Judge is currently set for an October 10 release date, a ripe calendar spot for a potential Oscar run.

Robert Downey Jr. Just Made the Year’s Sappiest Flick |Alex Suskind |September 5, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The Bachelor had debuted a year earlier, and audiences were ripe for a show that punctured its saccharine fairy-tale storyline.

You Really Don't Want to Watch Fox’s ‘I Wanna Marry “Harry”’ |Jason Lynch |May 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Wagonloads of ripe Jersey tomatoes making their way to the soup factory are a jocund sight across the river just now.

Mince PieAuthor: Christopher Darlington MorleyRelease Date: October 10, 2004 [eBook #13694] |Christopher Darlington Morley
The pollen was all ready to drop, and by this he knew it was ripe.

The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. |Ellen Eddy Shaw
And again the ripe beauty of the garden was bathed in solemn silence.

Foma Gordyeff |Maxim Gorky
Some were blooming, others had only begun to form fruit-buds, while some were loaded with ripe clusters ready for the wine-press.

Odysseus, the Hero of Ithaca |Homer
Marriage is not that sort of thing, it's not like ripe raspberries that drop off if not picked in time.

The Power of Darkness |Leo Tolstoy

British Dictionary definitions for ripe

ripe

/ (raɪp) /

adjective

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

mature enough to be eaten or used ripe cheese

fully developed in mind or body

resembling ripe fruit, esp in redness or fullness a ripe complexion

(postpositive foll by for) ready or eager (to undertake or undergo an action)

(postpositive foll by for) suitable; right or opportune the time is not yet ripe

mature in judgment or knowledge

advanced but healthy (esp in the phrase a ripe old age)

slang

complete; thorough
excessive; exorbitant

slang slightly indecent; risqué

Derived forms of ripe

ripely, adverb ripeness, noun

Word Origin for ripe

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

Idioms and Phrases with ripe

ripe

In addition to the idiom beginning with ripe

ripe old age

also see:

time is ripe

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

ripe

adjective, rip·er, rip·est.

Origin of ripe

SYNONYMS FOR ripe

OTHER WORDS FROM ripe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ripe

Words nearby ripe

Example sentences from the Web for ripe

British Dictionary definitions for ripe

adjective

Derived forms of ripe

Word Origin for ripe

Idioms and Phrases with ripe

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

ripe

adjective, rip·er, rip·est.

Origin of ripe

SYNONYMS FOR ripe

OTHER WORDS FROM ripe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ripe

Words nearby ripe

Words related to ripe

Example sentences from the Web for ripe

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for ripe

adjective

Derived forms of ripe

Word Origin for ripe

Idioms and Phrases with ripe

British Dictionary definitions for ripe