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ripe

[ rahyp ]
/ raɪp /
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See synonyms for: ripe / ripeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, rip·er, rip·est.
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Origin of ripe

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

synonym study for ripe

1. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM ripe

ripely, adverbripeness, nounhalf-ripe, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ripe

rife, ripe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ripe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ripe

ripe
/ (raɪp) /

adjective

Derived forms of ripe

ripely, adverbripeness, noun

Word Origin for ripe

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with ripe

ripe

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