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
Amawi often saw malnourished children who lacked the strength to play.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Malnutrition crisis The ongoing conflict, along with a lack of adequate aid, has led to thousands of malnourished Gazans, according to humanitarian organizations.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
Two mountain lion cubs found orphaned and malnourished in March have been released back into the wild after undergoing rehabilitation at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Charging documents say investigators found malnourished animals on the property, according to ABC13, the Houston Chronicle and Yahoo News.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Malnutrition crisis The ongoing conflict, along with a lack of adequate aid, has led to thousands of malnourished Gazans, according to humanitarian organizations.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
Two mountain lion cubs found orphaned and malnourished in March have been released back into the wild after undergoing rehabilitation at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Charging documents say investigators found malnourished animals on the property, according to ABC13, the Houston Chronicle and Yahoo News.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 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?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share