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
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
Melissa Hendricks Patients may become malnourished from being unable to take food by mouth … —Laura Landro
Laura Landro Examples of malnourished in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
New Jersey police have arrested a woman accused of placing a malnourished and injured dog in a trash bag and leaving it in a dumpster outside her apartment complex in Lindenwold.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
She had been critically injured in an animal attack and was seriously malnourished at the time of her rescue.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 2 May 2025
Aid groups say thousands of children are malnourished and most people are surviving on one meal a day or less.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
The 32-year-old man recently freed from a Waterbury home was reportedly found malnourished after being withdrawn from school at age 11 and then reportedly held captive for decades.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
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Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
She had been critically injured in an animal attack and was seriously malnourished at the time of her rescue.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 2 May 2025
Aid groups say thousands of children are malnourished and most people are surviving on one meal a day or less.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
The 32-year-old man recently freed from a Waterbury home was reportedly found malnourished after being withdrawn from school at age 11 and then reportedly held captive for decades.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Cite this Entry
“Malnourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malnourished. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Maria Konnikova
especially
: undernourished
How do you help malnourished children and assure that they won't go hungry again after you leave? —Melissa Hendricks
Melissa Hendricks Patients may become malnourished from being unable to take food by mouth … —Laura Landro
Laura Landro Love words? Need even more definitions?
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