Nearby Words
adjective, rip·er, rip·est.
1.
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.
2.
resembling such fruit, as in ruddiness and fullness: ripe, red lips.
3.
advanced to the point of being in the best condition for use, as cheese or beer.
4.
fully grown or developed, as animals when ready to be killed and used for food.
5.
EXPANDarrived at the highest or a high point of development or excellence; mature.
6.
of mature judgment or knowledge: ripe scholars; a ripe mind.
7.
characterized by full development of body or mind: of ripe years.
8.
(of time) advanced: a ripe old age.
9.
(of ideas, plans, etc.) ready for action, execution, etc.
10.
(of people) fully prepared or ready to do or undergo something: He was ripe for a change in jobs.
11.
fully or sufficiently advanced; ready enough; auspicious: The time is ripe for a new foreign policy.
12.
ready for some operation or process: a ripe abscess.
13.
COLLAPSEArchaic. drunk: reeling ripe.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English rīpe; cognate with Dutch rijp, German reif; akin to Old English ripan to reap
before 900; Middle English; Old English rīpe; cognate with Dutch rijp, German reif; akin to Old English ripan to reap
Related forms
ripe·ly, adverb
ripe·ness, noun
half-ripe, adjective
Synonyms
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.
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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To ripely
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Ripely
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ripe
O.E. ripe "ready for reaping, fit for eating," from W.Gmc. *ripijaz (cf. M.Du. ripe, Du. rijp, O.H.G. rifi, Ger. reif); related to O.E. repan "to reap" (see reap). The verb ripen "to grow ripe" is from 1561, replacing earlier verb ripe, from late O.E. ripian, from the adj.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
ripe definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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