What does overripen mean?
Overripen means to become too ripe or to cause something to become excessively ripe. It is most often used for fruit, vegetables, and other foods whose texture and flavor deteriorate after passing the ideal stage of ripeness. The verb can describe either a natural process, as when berries overripen on a warm counter, or a deliberate or accidental result, as when heat overripens tomatoes. Its relatives, the adjective overripe and the noun overripening, are more familiar than the verb itself. Although the word is not limited to food, it is especially associated with produce that has become soft, pulpy, bruised, or past its best. In general writing, choosing the more familiar adjective overripe may often be clearer when the action itself is not important.
verbTo become too ripe, especially in the sense of becoming soft, pulpy, or past its best. It can also mean to cause fruit or another food to become excessively ripe.
- To become excessively ripe, soft, or pulpy.
- To cause something to become excessively ripe.
"The peaches overripened while they were left in the warm car."
"The berries overripened on the counter."
"High temperatures can overripen tomatoes before they are picked."
Sometimes the quickest way to make a fruit overripen is simply to leave it in a sunny basket for a little too long.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does overripen come from?
The word was formed by combining the prefix over- with ripen, meaning to become ripe or to make ripe. Both elements are English: over- is an Old English prefix, while ripen developed from the adjective ripe and an Old English verb corresponding to it. The compound overripen appears to be a later, relatively uncommon formation, with its specific meaning focused on exceeding the desirable stage of ripeness.
Related word forms
How overripen is actually used
This is a relatively uncommon verb. In everyday usage it most often describes fruit becoming too ripe, while the causative use is more formal and less frequent.
Easily confused with overripen
Overripe is an adjective describing something that has become too ripe, whereas overripen is the verb describing the process of becoming too ripe or causing it to happen.