unripe
Americanadjective
-
not ripe; immature; not fully developed.
unripe fruit.
-
too early; premature.
adjective
-
not fully matured
-
not fully prepared or developed; not ready
-
obsolete premature or untimely
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unripe
before 1000; Middle English unrype, Old English unrīpe. See un- 1, ripe
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A short distance away from Al-Louh, a group of farmers was harvesting eggplants even though they were still unripe, knowing they probably wouldn’t get another chance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Tomatoes, for example, grow in clusters, which means a robot must carefully select ripe fruit while leaving unripe ones untouched.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2026
Some Chinese consumers have complained that durians are arriving unripe.
From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
"It was unripe — there was no action by the EPA that Louisiana could challenge," said Kron.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
She is wearing a gown the color of unripe mulberries, and her hair is pulled slightly back.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
