undernourished

adjective

un·​der·​nour·​ished ˌən-dər-ˈnər-isht How to pronounce undernourished (audio)
-ˈnə-risht
1
: supplied with less than the minimum amount of the nutrients or foods essential for sound health and growth : marked by undernutrition
undernourished infants
Since these drugs suppress appetite, stimulant users are often undernourished and experience all the ill effects of that condition.Cynthia Kuhn
2
: poorly supplied with vital elements or qualities
undernourished independent libraries
undernourishment noun

Examples of undernourished in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hundreds of millions of children are malnourished or undernourished — harming their ability to survive, thrive and reach their full potential. Unicef Usa, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 Pissarro’s own painting from the eighteen-seventies can sometimes look undernourished, drained of even the most conventional pictorial drama. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023 The undernourished population reached 800 million during the global recession in the early 2000s. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2023 But her chest voice sometimes sounded undernourished, and transitions between registers weren’t always clean. Dallas News, 4 Apr. 2022 Even before the Covid pandemic, nearly half of the North Korean population was undernourished, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Jessie Yeung, CNN, 12 Sep. 2023 The undernourished population is growing Meanwhile, the number of undernourished people in the world has increased. Clarisa Diaz, Quartz, 6 June 2022 But the critique of Stoppard has been that his brainy comedies are emotionally undernourished. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2023 More than 10 million North Koreans suffered malnourishment and hunger during the pandemic, with 41% of the population undernourished between 2019 and 2021, according to a report published last year by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Dasl Yoon, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undernourished.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of undernourished was in 1863

Dictionary Entries Near undernourished

Cite this Entry

“Undernourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undernourished. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

undernourished

adjective
un·​der·​nour·​ished ˌən-dər-ˈnər-isht How to pronounce undernourished (audio)
-ˈnə-risht
: supplied with too little food for health and growth
undernourishment
-ˈnər-ish-ment How to pronounce undernourished (audio)
-ˈnə-rish-
noun

Medical Definition

undernourished

adjective
un·​der·​nour·​ished ˌən-dər-ˈnər-isht, -ˈnə-risht How to pronounce undernourished (audio)
: supplied with less than the minimum amount of the nutrients or foods essential for sound health and growth : marked by undernutrition
undernourished infants
Since these drugs suppress appetite, stimulant users are often undernourished and experience all the ill effects of that condition.Cynthia Kuhn
undernourishment noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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