malnourished

adjective

mal·​nour·​ished ˌmal-ˈnər-isht 

-ˈnə-risht

: supplied with less than the minimum or an unbalanced amount of the nutrients or foods essential for sound health and growth : marked by malnutrition

When it comes to certain nutrients, in fact, an estimated 80 to 90 percent of obese individuals are malnourished.

—Maria Konnikova

especially : undernourished sense 1

How do you help malnourished children and assure that they won't go hungry again after you leave?

—Melissa Hendricks

Patients may become malnourished from being unable to take food by mouth …

—Laura Landro

Examples of malnourished in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beck was playing a shabby, malnourished musician living in a shack who acts as an emissary of a weird celebrity cult. — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Athena, the malnourished pit bull with a skin condition, was not with her. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Day centers for the elderly are rife with scabies and anemia; the seniors are emaciated, malnourished, and unclean. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026

Additionally, 205 clinics used to feed malnourished kids have closed due to a lack of funding, according to UNICEF. — Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for malnourished

• undernourished
• flourished
• nourished

Kids Definition

malnourished

adjective

mal·​nour·​ished (ˈ)mal-ˈnər-isht 

-ˈnə-risht

: poorly nourished : undernourished

Medical Definition

malnourished

adjective

mal·​nour·​ished (ˈ)mal-ˈnər-isht, -ˈnə-risht 

: supplied with less than the minimum or an unbalanced amount of the nutrients or foods essential for sound health and growth : marked by malnutrition

When it comes to certain nutrients, in fact, an estimated 80 to 90 percent of obese individuals are malnourished.

—Maria Konnikova

especially : undernourished

How do you help malnourished children and assure that they won't go hungry again after you leave?

—Melissa Hendricks

Patients may become malnourished from being unable to take food by mouth …

—Laura Landro