unausgereift

Unausgereift is a German adjective meaning not ripe or not fully developed. It combines the negating prefix un- with ausgereift, the past participle of ausreifen, “to ripen” or “to mature.” The term can refer to literal ripeness, such as fruit or produce, as well as to figurative maturity in ideas, plans, products, or works of art.

In everyday use, unausgereift describes something that has not yet reached its intended level of development or refinement. In agricultural or culinary contexts it denotes produce that still requires additional time to mature. In discussions about science, technology, business, or culture, it signals that a concept or project is still at an early stage or lacks needed refinement, testing, or validation.

Grammatically, unausgereift behaves as a standard adjective and declines according to gender, number, and case (e.g., eine unausgereifte Frucht; der Wein ist unausgereift; die Ideen sind unausgereift). The common antonym is ausgereift or reif; related terms include unreif (immature) and Reife (maturity).

Metaphorically, unausgereift often implies potential that has not yet been realized or tested, in contrast to something that is mature, well-developed, or proven. The nuance emphasizes incompleteness or dependence on further development rather than a fixed defect.