1. a substance or agent that causes fruit to ripen
2. a person or thing that ripens something

Examples

• Ethylene gas is a natural ripener for many fruits.
• The farmer used a commercial ripener to speed up the banana harvest.
• Placing apples near green tomatoes acts as a ripener.
• The warehouse stored the ripener in sealed containers.
• Time is the best ripener for cheese and wine.
• The ripener helped the avocados reach perfect softness.