Definition

The condition of not being fully ripe or mature, often referring to fruit or other food.

Example

The unripe bananas were too hard to eat.

Conversation

I bought some peaches at the market yesterday.

How were they?

They were still in a state of unripeness — too hard to eat.

That's disappointing! I hate when that happens.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Unripeness → It is formed from "un-" (meaning not) and "ripe" (from Old English "rīpe", meaning mature or ready for harvest) and "-ness" (meaning the state of). The word "unripeness" refers to the state of not being ripe or mature.

Memory Tip

Think of 'not' ('un-') being combined with 'mature' ('ripe') to remember that 'unripeness' means the state of not being mature.

Visually Confused Words