Unripe means not yet ready to eat or use, usually describing fruit or vegetables that haven't finished growing and developing. An unripe banana is green and firm, tasting starchy and bitter. An unripe tomato is hard and pale, lacking the sweetness and rich flavor of a red, ripe one.

When fruit is unripe, it hasn't developed its full sugars, flavors, and softer texture. Bite into an unripe peach and you'll find it hard, sour, and sometimes unpleasant. Wait a few days for it to ripen on your kitchen counter, and that same peach becomes sweet, juicy, and delicious.

The word can also describe situations that aren't ready yet. You might say the time is unripe for asking your parents about getting a pet if they're stressed about other things. In this sense, unripe suggests that conditions haven't matured enough for something to work out well.

Some fruits, like bananas, will ripen after being picked. Others, like strawberries and grapes, must ripen on the plant, or they'll never develop their full sweetness. Knowing the difference helps you understand why some fruit at the grocery store needs a few days at home before eating, while other unripe fruit will stay disappointing.