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
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Maybe the bright lights of a win-or-go-home playoff game proved too big of a moment for a young, inexperienced Hawks team.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
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Edmonton showed off its postseason poise in Game 5, throttling the Ducks in a 4-1 victory and putting the onus on their inexperienced opponents to finish off the series.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Only this week, Conway doubled down with a stunt in front of Mfume’s district office, an act that would be immature and juvenile in an elementary school student government election, let alone a campaign for Congress.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
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Faced with the prospect of deciding between Urlacher, a late bloomer in high school who almost wasn’t recruited before becoming a college All-American, and Michigan State receiver Plaxico Burress, regarded throughout the NFL as gifted but immature, the Bears did not have to choose.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even Michael’s social life is left blank, far beyond his adolescent solitudes.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
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Relatedly, another study published Friday in JAMA Network Open found that rates of adolescent cannabis use increased after recreational use was legalized in California, but decreased after the Covid pandemic.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, unripe bananas contain more fiber than ripe bananas.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
29 Dec. 2025
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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
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His mom likes another young lady for her son, not my daughter.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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This particular adaptation bookends the story with the character Alba (played in young adulthood by Rocío Hernández), the granddaughter of the clairvoyant matriarch Clara del Valle (played in older age by Dolores Fonzi) and the conservative, volatile patriarch Esteban Trueba (Alfonso Herrera).—
Laura Zornosa,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unripened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unripened. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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