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
-
In theory, the walls of carbon nanotubes house a sea of degenerate electrons that have a similar density to metals.—
The Physics arXiv Blog,
Discover Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
-
There was alarm at the prospect of hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning to the U.S. with such degenerate experience under their belts, and presumably spreading these habits among hitherto innocent American wives.—
Rebecca Mead,
The New Yorker,
9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Salesforce shares fell in extended trading Wednesday on mixed quarterly results and weak guidance.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
-
There aren’t enough affordable ones and the charging infrastructure is weak.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
With water, syrupy raisin and date notes comes forward in a big way, but an unexpected cotton candy sweetness keeps the nose from coming off as too rich and decadent.—
Chris Perugini,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Add a coordinating duvet cover to bring decadent, old-world energy to even the most modern and minimal of bedrooms.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Tragically, the Chesapeake remains significantly degraded and its overall water quality has improved only marginally after 41 years.—
Gerald Winegrad,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Against the backdrop of a degraded web, the improbable success of a volunteer-run website attempting to gather all the world’s knowledge is something to celebrate, not destroy.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This is bad enough, but then there’s the wide gulf of sensibility that separates Rock and Martin; the latter’s effete irony just doesn’t gel with Rock’s political trenchancy.—
Bill Wyman,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The Portnoy in the pizza videos often has a preening, fussy, almost effete quality that complicates his butch self-image.—
Willy Staley,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Advertisement This is what happened last year when their most significant trade-deadline pickup was washed-up pitcher Lance Lynn, or the year before when their major summer acquisition was strikeout-prone outfielder Joey Gallo. Dodgers Clayton Kershaw returns to the Dodgers.—
Dylan Hernández,
Los Angeles Times,
25 July 2024
-
Forget washed-up — Escola might not yet be a widely recognizable name, but the 37-year-old is on track to become one of the most original and influential voices in the alternative comedy scene.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
6 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
Their emphasis on key soft skill behaviors makes everybody in the organization much better—even the youngest, least experienced employees.—
Bruce Tulgan,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
-
As for the future, Leopold suggests that soft skills will play a major role.—
Ryan Johnston,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overripe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overripe. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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