1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

ripe

adjective

ˈrīp How to pronounce ripe (audio)
Definition of ripenext
1
as in matured
fully grown or developed a ripe tomato

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stinking
having an unpleasant smell the clothes of the field hands were sweaty and ripe after a hard day's work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ripe However, the 700-acre grounds are ripe for quite a bit of further development. — Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2026 Founded by Rachel Iwaniec, who got her start at Khaite before launching her own wholesale agency a little more than five years ago, RIC boasts a roster of emerging labels ripe for discovery. — Talia Abbas, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026 Sitting more than 50% off from its July 2025 highs, RBC Capital Markets thinks Shake Shack may be at an inflection point and ripe for a turnaround in its stock. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026 Premier Honeycrisp, Blondee, Gala, McIntosh and Jonathan apple varieties are ripe for the picking the first and second week of September. — Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ripe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripe
  1. matured
  2. stinking
  3. mature
  4. foul
  5. strong
  6. rotted
  7. rotten
  8. disgusting
Adjective
  • Think of this as the matured version of the Kool-Aid dip-dye technique.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
Definition of matured
Adjective
  • America’s political landscape has become a stinking mess.
    — Mary Ellen Klas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026
  • Not the good, high-altitude ozone that shields us from dangerous UV light, but bad ozone, hovering right above ground level — stinking, brownish, grayish photochemical smog.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of stinking
Adjective
  • The bloc has some key strengths, such as data center operating costs below the global average, mature manufacturing infrastructure, and rapid uptake of digital AI applications and clean energy.
    — Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This approach is extraordinarily mature and remains the foundation of modern computing.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of mature
Adjective
  • Both banged off the Tropicana Field catwalk in foul territory, nullifying the catch made on both of them.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Peter remembers chicken wings, the foul Lower Manhattan air, and buying an industrial respirator at a hardware store.
    — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of foul
Adjective
  • The latest forecast predicts the center will pass roughly 115 to 150 miles west of Kauai, close enough that any additional eastward shifts in the track could bring stronger winds and greater impacts, particularly to Kauai, the hurricane center said.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Design delivers low noise and vibration levels The new Elegance Pod is being developed with a strong focus on total system efficiency.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of strong
Adjective
  • Inspect fences and perform any repairs or maintenance, such as reinforcing posts or replacing rotted sections.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
  • Many grapes become too rotted and are left to wither away.
    — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of rotted
Adjective
  • Being pelted on the world’s stage with the modern equivalent of rotten tomatoes – memes and scathing online posts – hasn't kept the dancer, born Rachael Gunn, from laughing.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • His last Netflix partnership, the miniseries Zero Day, put up rotten scores.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotten
Adjective
  • These guys are disgusting over the radio in the heat of battle.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The wealth disparity and how competitive sports enables opportunity hoarding is just disgusting.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of disgusting

Browse Nearby Words

rip
ripe
ripen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ripe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripe. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All