ripe

[rahyp]

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

Related formsripe·ly, adverbripe·ness, nounhalf-ripe, adjective

Can be confusedrife ripe (see synonym study at the current entry)

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for riper

ready, prepared, overdue, mature, plump, suitable, opportune, accomplished, adult, aged, completed, conditioned, consummate, enlightened, enriched, finished, fit, full, full-blown, full-fledged

Examples from the Web for riper

Historical Examples of riper

I leave this task to others, of riper years, as you were yourself.
Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois, Complete
Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre
Neither have they teachers or advisers with whom they can take counsel in riper years.
The Republic
Plato
The peaches were excellent,—would have been better if riper.
Barrington
Charles James Lever
The plant is then riper, less juicy, and cures more readily.
Cattle and Their Diseases
Robert Jennings
That sad, though glorious reversion of our riper and darker years?
Ernest Linwood
Caroline Lee Hentz

British Dictionary definitions for riper

ripe

adjective

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

mature enough to be eaten or usedripe cheese

fully developed in mind or body

resembling ripe fruit, esp in redness or fullnessa ripe complexion

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

(postpositive foll by for) suitable; right or opportunethe 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 Formsripely, 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

Word Origin and History for riper

ripe

adj.

Old English ripe "ready for reaping, fit for eating, mature," from West Germanic *ripijaz (cf. Old Saxon ripi, Middle Dutch ripe, Dutch rijp, Old High German rifi, German reif); related to Old English repan "to reap" (see reap). Meaning "ready for some action or effect" is from 1590s. Related: Ripely; ripeness.

Idioms and Phrases with riper

ripe

In addition to the idiom beginning with ripe

ripe old age

also see:

time is ripe