as in decayed
having lost forcefulness, courage, or spirit
an overripe artist whose abstract paintings are no longer considered fresh or significant
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Recent Examples of overripe
At its proudly overripe heart, the series is a gothic domestic soap—Lifetime themes gussied up in Southern finery.
—
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022
But at the end of 2021, S&P profits already looked overripe.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2022
Your standard kelewele recipe calls for chopping an overripe plantain into bite-size pieces and coating it in a blend of garlic, ginger, onion, crushed red pepper, and other spices before frying it in sizzling oil.
—Adjoa D. Danso, Bon Appétit, 2 Nov. 2021
Check your raspberry patch and harvest every few days to avoid overripe fruit that attracts picnic beetles and other pests.
—Melinda Myers, Star Tribune, 30 July 2021
Chilling your tomatoes can cause loss of sweetness and texture but is an option if the tomatoes are overripe (and always refrigerate a tomato that has been cut).
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 2 June 2021
In cooler vintages, when the grapes are not so overripe, this wine should excel.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021
At any given moment in any given store, the avocados might be overripe, the organic carrots sold out, the fancy olive oil moved from its normal location to a new display.
—Johana Bhuiyan, chicagotribune.com, 31 Aug. 2020
The wines are full-bodied but not at all overripe or forced, to use Thera’s term.
—Eric Asimov, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020
Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2022
But at the end of 2021, S&P profits already looked overripe.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2022
Your standard kelewele recipe calls for chopping an overripe plantain into bite-size pieces and coating it in a blend of garlic, ginger, onion, crushed red pepper, and other spices before frying it in sizzling oil.
—Adjoa D. Danso, Bon Appétit, 2 Nov. 2021
Check your raspberry patch and harvest every few days to avoid overripe fruit that attracts picnic beetles and other pests.
—Melinda Myers, Star Tribune, 30 July 2021
Chilling your tomatoes can cause loss of sweetness and texture but is an option if the tomatoes are overripe (and always refrigerate a tomato that has been cut).
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 2 June 2021
In cooler vintages, when the grapes are not so overripe, this wine should excel.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021
At any given moment in any given store, the avocados might be overripe, the organic carrots sold out, the fancy olive oil moved from its normal location to a new display.
—Johana Bhuiyan, chicagotribune.com, 31 Aug. 2020
The wines are full-bodied but not at all overripe or forced, to use Thera’s term.
—Eric Asimov, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overripe
Adjective
-
Discard any that look dead or decayed.—
Helena Madden,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The farm buildings on the property—long verandas, shearing sheds, and concrete kennels—are old and decayed, remnants from long before the group showed up.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Jimmy Fallon helped all the degenerate gamblers out there choose a Kentucky Derby winner by having puppies (who each represented a Derby horse) run to kibble.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Be classy, yet still maintain some of your degenerate tendencies.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA is widely expected to be more competitive next season — from the bottom tier, where anti-tanking regulations and a weaker draft class should curb teams’ intentional losing, to the upper echelons, where Oklahoma City and San Antonio stand tall.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Conditions change quickly, signals conflict with each other, and weak assumptions tend to get exposed without much delay.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Whit’s Frozen Custard is known for its flavor of the day calendar, with rich custards running the decadent range from fluffer nutter cookie, carrot cake, and mint cookies ‘n cream to Biscoff cookie butter and banana nut bread.—
Terry Ward,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
-
Simultaneously decadent yet low-maintenance, this gorgeous sheet cake is sure to delight.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Poor financial decisions have led to bad housing policy and degraded services.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
The Teamsters warned a degraded zoo experience would await visitors who crossed the picket line, suggesting that certain programs such as dolphin shows would be canceled due to the strike.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Scarf critics accuse the accessory—and by extension, its wearers—of being effete or affected.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
1 Dec. 2025
-
What we’re left with is an effete description that exists for itself and doesn’t illuminate the character.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Hacks season 5 Five years ago, Ava (Hannah Einbinder) struggled to accept her lot in life when she was hired to be washed-up comedian Deborah Vance's (Jean Smart) new writer.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The film, about a group of revolutionaries who reunite to help one of their own — Bob Ferguson, a washed-up, paranoid stoner — rescue his daughter from their longtime enemy, has a lot to say about our fraught, divisive reality.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
All German Pilsner malt, super soft water profile like that in a Czech pale lager, and 100% US-grown hops with a touch of flaked corn.—
Blaine Callahan,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
And inside the adjacent soft pretzel shop, two workers leaned over on the counter, watching videos on a phone to pass the time.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overripe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overripe. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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