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
Leaves, twigs and unripe berries contain toxins that can cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
"It was unripe — there was no action by the EPA that Louisiana could challenge," said Kron.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
Besides beetles and unripe berries, he’d been able to swipe only a few crayfish, which Gray had refused.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
![]()
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.