overripe

adjective

over·​ripe ˌō-vər-ˈrīp 

ˌō-və-

1

: passed beyond maturity or ripeness toward decay

an overripe pear

2

a

: decadent

b

: lacking originality or vigor

overripe prose

over-ripeness

ˌō-vər-ˈrīp-nəs 

ˌō-və-

noun

Synonyms

• decadent
• decayed
• degenerate
• effete
• washed-up

Examples of overripe in a Sentence

an overripe artist whose abstract paintings are no longer considered fresh or significant

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overripe

• allotype
• antitype
• archetype
• biotype
• collotype
• genotype
• haplotype
• holotype
• hypotype
• isotype
• lectotype
• linotype

Kids Definition

overripe

adjective

over·​ripe -ˈrīp 

: passed beyond ripeness toward decay

an overripe pear