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
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
SYNONYMS FOR ripe
1 grown, aged.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ripe ON THESAURUS.COM
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.
Caring for employees has never been harder, therefore, or more ripe for change.
5 of the best tips for navigating the pandemic at work from chief HR officers|Michal Lev-Ram, writer|August 31, 2020|Fortune
Silbert, however, believes the opportunity is ripe for North American crypto firms to reclaim a significant share of the world’s mining power.
There’s (digital) gold in them thar hills: Crypto giant DCG is betting $100 million on mining Bitcoin in North America|Jeff|August 27, 2020|Fortune
For each region, the team determined whether conditions were ripe for a flare-inducing double-arc instability, and then aimed to predict the most powerful flares the sun produces, called X-class flares.
The physics of solar flares could help scientists predict imminent outbursts|Emily Conover|July 30, 2020|Science News
The moment was ripe for a novel statewide organizing approach.
How Los Angeles and San Diego Unified Started Driving State Education Policy|Will Huntsberry|July 29, 2020|Voice of San Diego
He had the insight to tell when infrared technology, formerly the province of the experts, was ripe for routine use in a big project.
Astronomers unveil the most complete 3-D map of the local universe|John Barrat|May 25, 2011|The Smithsonian Insider
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 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
slangslightly indecent; risqué
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