Meaning & use
overripened
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“overripened” is a form of “overripen”.
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
having become too ripe, so that the fruit is soft, dark, or starting to spoil
Grammar: Used before a noun: overripened bananas. It can also follow be: The bananas are overripened.
Patterns
- overripened fruit
- overripened bananas
- be overripened
We made banana bread with the overripened bananas.
Overripened tomatoes are perfect for sauce.
The peaches were overripened and too soft to pack.
verbintransitive
to become too ripe
Grammar: No object: The pears overripened. The usual adjective is overripe.
Patterns
- fruit overripens
- overripen in the heat
The figs overripened in the hot kitchen.
If you leave them too long, they will overripen.
Word forms
| base form | overripen |
|---|---|
| third person singular | overripens |
| past tense | overripened |
| past participle | overripened |
| -ing form | overripening |
| comparative | more overripened |
| superlative | most overripened |
Common combinations
- overripened fruit
- Overripened fruit is best used in cooking.
- overripened bananas
- She froze the overripened bananas for smoothies.
- slightly overripened
- The mangoes were slightly overripened but still tasty.
- go overripened
- The avocados went overripened before we could eat them.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overripe
- This is the more common adjective; overripened stresses that the fruit has already passed the ripe stage.
- mushy
- This describes the soft texture rather than the cause; overripened explains why the fruit is soft.
Opposites
Word family
- overripen verb
- to become too ripe
- overripeness noun
- the state of being too ripe
- overripe adjective
- too ripe; the usual adjective
Commonly confused: overripened or overripe?
overripened vs overripe
Overripe is the standard adjective: overripe bananas. Overripened is the past participle of the verb and is less common.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
After are, the adjective or past participle overripened fits. Option 1 uses the -ing form, which suggests an action in progress, option 2 uses the base form, and option 3 is not a real word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overripened”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.