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
-
The team overachieved this season partly because Mazzulla turned an inexperienced supporting cast into a strength.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Short selling can be an intellectually demanding approach to the market, and many inexperienced traders fall into a trap, lured by overvaluation and hype.—
David Capablanca,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
On a blind date, his descriptions of magical griffins and burning deserts sound humiliatingly immature.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Beckham is charismatic and generally more thoughtful than the perception created by the impulsive or immature decisions that create headlines.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Rue descends into crime, working with Nazis, the feds, and a Black cowboy in a drug plot that stems from her adolescent foibles with monotone drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly).—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
29 May 2026
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Alicia begins her desperate search for her adolescent son in a wild, unknown territory, confronting her own guilt and fears.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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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
-
The Spurs missed more production from De'Aaron Fox, who turned in an unremarkable performance (seven points), leaving San Antonio to lean heavily on its young core.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
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Around the same time, Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 8, were with their mother and younger sibling approaching a crosswalk at Triunfo Canyon Road.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unripened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unripened. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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