ripe
adj.-
1 fruit or food (adj.) B1 Intermediate Cookingready to be picked or eaten.
having reached a state of full development and readiness for consumption or harvesting.
ExampleThe peaches are finally ripe and smell wonderful.
ExampleThe farmer waited until the grapes were perfectly ripe before beginning the harvest to ensure the highest sugar content for the wine.
- unripe
- green
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2 ready for action (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediateready for something to happen, or at the right time for a change.
fully developed or prepared for a particular action, treatment, or effect.
ExampleThe country was ripe for a change in leadership after the long crisis.
ExampleMarket conditions were ripe for a new competitor to enter the industry and challenge the established monopolies.
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3 smelly (adj.) C1 Advanced Informalhaving a very strong and unpleasant smell.
characterised by a strong, pungent, or disagreeable odour.
ExampleHis gym bag was a bit ripe after sitting in the hot car all day.
ExampleThe air in the locker room was decidedly ripe, thick with the scent of damp towels and old athletic gear.
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4 legal readiness (adj.) C2 Proficiency Technical Formal Lawready to be decided by a court of law.
referring to a case that is ready for adjudication because the facts have developed sufficiently.
ExampleThe judge decided the case was not yet ripe for a final decision.
ExampleThe appellate court dismissed the claim, ruling that the dispute was not yet ripe for judicial intervention as the administrative remedies had not been exhausted.
UsageUsually used in the phrase 'ripe for review' or 'ripe for adjudication'.
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5 advanced age (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediateused to describe a very old age in a respectful way.
referring to an advanced age, typically in the idiomatic expression 'a ripe old age'.
ExampleMy grandfather lived to the ripe old age of ninety-five.
ExampleHaving maintained an active lifestyle, she reached the ripe age of ninety with her mental faculties entirely intact.