: weighing less than the normal or requisite amount
Synonyms
Examples of underweight in a Sentence
Adjective
the long illness left him frail and underweight
Recent Examples on the Web
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Rescued by one of AHS’ Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™, Eisenhower was underweight and covered in wounds.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Taking a hunger suppressant may be unsafe for those who are a healthy weight or are underweight.
—Weight Loss Advisors, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Sixteen were severely emaciated and likely died of starvation; 11 died of blunt force trauma — although two of those whales were also extremely underweight; at least three bore fatal wounds from killer whales and two were tangled in fishing gear.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The rescue group said in a Facebook post that Connie was a bit underweight, tested positive for heartworm and would be getting treatment for it.
—Juan Lozano, Fortune, 2 Feb. 2024
Despite his size, the 150-pound dog is likely underweight and gulps down water that Miller gave him in a cooking pot, his new owner shared.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024
Adults were classified as obese if their body mass index (BMI) was greater than or equal to 30 and classified as underweight if their BMI was below 18.5.
—Mira Cheng, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
Surprising Fact The number of adults who were underweight dropped by more than 50% in the same timeframe.
—Arianna Johnson, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The vast majority of animals were found to be severely underweight and suffering from various illnesses.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Rescued by one of AHS’ Emergency Animal Medical Technicians™, Eisenhower was underweight and covered in wounds.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Taking a hunger suppressant may be unsafe for those who are a healthy weight or are underweight.
—Weight Loss Advisors, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Sixteen were severely emaciated and likely died of starvation; 11 died of blunt force trauma — although two of those whales were also extremely underweight; at least three bore fatal wounds from killer whales and two were tangled in fishing gear.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The rescue group said in a Facebook post that Connie was a bit underweight, tested positive for heartworm and would be getting treatment for it.
—Juan Lozano, Fortune, 2 Feb. 2024
Despite his size, the 150-pound dog is likely underweight and gulps down water that Miller gave him in a cooking pot, his new owner shared.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024
Adults were classified as obese if their body mass index (BMI) was greater than or equal to 30 and classified as underweight if their BMI was below 18.5.
—Mira Cheng, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
Surprising Fact The number of adults who were underweight dropped by more than 50% in the same timeframe.
—Arianna Johnson, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underweight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near underweight
Cite this Entry
“Underweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underweight. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
underweight
adjective
un·der·weight
-ˈwāt 
: weighing less than the normal amount for one's age, height, and build
underweight children
underweight adults typically have a body mass index of less than 18.5
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