as in inexperienced
lacking in adult experience or maturity
the unripened thoughts of a young writer with limited life experiences
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Recent Examples of unripened
Cottage cheese is a fresh, unripened cheese known for its mild and tangy flavor and distinctive curds.
—
Daryl Austin, USA Today, 29 July 2025
Benin explains that Drizzle is made with small unripened olives, harvested in the fall before the rainy season in Spain, where the olives are sourced, so there’s minimal water and oil inside.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Equally delicious is her banana cou cou, smashed unripened banana topped with lamb gravy.
—Patrick Scott, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The skinny on capers For the uninitiated, capers are the unripened, pea-sized buds of the prickly caper bush, or Capparis spinosa.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
The new Olallieberry Nocino sinks the inky berries in an unripened walnut liqueur with nutmeg, allspice and cloves.
—Becky Duffett, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Dec. 2023
In addition to being tasty (locals fry the plant’s unripened flower heads in olive oil and garlic, and add them to omelets, meat and chickpea dishes), akkoub is rich in calcium and iron.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2022
Cream cheese is made from cow’s milk and is unripened.
—Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2021
Just place the unripened avocados in a paper bag with a banana or an apple, fold over the top and leave it on the counter.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Mar. 2021
Daryl Austin, USA Today, 29 July 2025
Benin explains that Drizzle is made with small unripened olives, harvested in the fall before the rainy season in Spain, where the olives are sourced, so there’s minimal water and oil inside.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Equally delicious is her banana cou cou, smashed unripened banana topped with lamb gravy.
—Patrick Scott, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
The skinny on capers For the uninitiated, capers are the unripened, pea-sized buds of the prickly caper bush, or Capparis spinosa.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
The new Olallieberry Nocino sinks the inky berries in an unripened walnut liqueur with nutmeg, allspice and cloves.
—Becky Duffett, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Dec. 2023
In addition to being tasty (locals fry the plant’s unripened flower heads in olive oil and garlic, and add them to omelets, meat and chickpea dishes), akkoub is rich in calcium and iron.
—Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2022
Cream cheese is made from cow’s milk and is unripened.
—Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2021
Just place the unripened avocados in a paper bag with a banana or an apple, fold over the top and leave it on the counter.
—Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unripened
Adjective
-
Steve Ponto said his daughter means well, but is inexperienced and especially passionate.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Messi went in as a halftime substitute in the 2-1 victory over Mauritania on March 27, a result against an inexperienced opponent that did not sit well with Scaloni.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet this widely available gourd—harvested and eaten while still immature, in fact, for ripe cucumbers are yellow and bitter—is not the entirety of the plant.—
Andrés Muedano,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Preterm and low-birth-weight babies are at higher risk than full-term babies of developing NEC, potentially because of their immature digestive systems, according to the National Institutes of Health.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some of her adolescent outbursts and antics (that were so delicious to play).—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Any full-length conversation between Tua Tagovailoa and his adolescent self would, eventually, disclose details of the dark days.—
Daniel Flick - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, unripe bananas contain more fiber than ripe bananas.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Green mangoes Like green bananas, green (unripe) mangoes offer resistant starch, antioxidants, and significantly less sugar than their ripe, orange counterparts.—
Dr. Steven Gundry,
CNBC,
21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Szeemann’s two Venice Biennales followed a decade of frantic exhibition-making across the globe, by Szeemann himself and by young professionals proud to call themselves independent curators.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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The legislation would require social media platforms to estimate the age of users and exclude obscene content to children 16 years old or younger.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unripened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unripened. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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