ripen

Reach full sweetness

Ripen means to become ripe—ready for harvest, eating, or use.

Fruit ripens on the vine or after picking.

The verb extends to anything that develops toward readiness or maturity: Let the idea ripen before you act on it.

Cheese ripens as it ages.

A situation may ripen into crisis.

To ripen something is to cause this process: Ethylene gas ripens bananas.

process

mature

Fully grown or developed

developCause gradual growth
ageDuration of existence
mellowSoft, ripe, relaxed

soften · sweeten · ferment · cure · season · oxidize · ethylene · climacteric · storage · shelf-life

fruit

mature

Fully grown or developed

mellowSoft, ripe, relaxed
softenMake less firm
sweetenAdd sugar to

develop · ready · plump · juicy · harvest · picking · orchard · vineyard · bruise · greenness

cheese

age

Duration of existence

matureFully grown or developed
cureTreatment that heals
fermentMicrobial chemical breakdown

mold · rind · cave-aged · bloomy · washed-rind · sharp · pungent · crumbly · soft · hard

peak

ready

Suitable for use now

primeReadying for action
perfectWithout any flaw
optimalMost desirable outcome

moment · timing · culmination · fullness · readiness · window · season · maturity · completion · ideal

Categories

growing verbsbloom, blossom, bud, germinate, grow
finishfinish, complete, conclude, end, finalize
growthgrowth, grow, growing, growth rate, increase
go badrot, spoil, decay, mold, sour
preservationpreserve, preservatives, preservative, canning, freezing
time verbswait, pause, delay, hasten, hurry

Opposites

maturation process

ripenrot

Organic breakdown process

decay · spoil · decompose · deteriorate · putrefy

Phrases

ripe for the pickingEasily obtained or exploited
ripe old ageImpressively long life
ripe fruitFully developed edible harvest
ripe bananaMature tropical fruit
too ripe
vine ripe

Family

ripe, unripe, ripening, ripened, ripens, overripe, ripeness, ripest, riper

Familiarity: Top 20,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G