MALNOURISHED Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

malnourished

adjective

Definition of malnourished

as in starving

not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food; poorly nourished The malnourished children were slowly nursed back to health.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of malnourished Roughly speaking, there are three ways an older person could become malnourished, with the inability to afford food as the most obvious one, Lee said. — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026 The medical examiner ruled the boy died by homicide, noting he was malnourished and dehydrated. — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 30 July 2026 The malnourished children were found living in deplorable conditions in a 12-by-12-foot room. — Wsyx Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026 Several were severely malnourished and in need of immediate medical care. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for malnourished

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malnourished

Adjective

The risk of a bad outcome is higher for people who are undernourished and unable to access supportive medical care.

— Kathryn H. Jacobsen, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
For the first time, the continent has overtaken Asia as the region with the largest number of hungry people, and nearly 60% of the world’s chronically undernourished people could live there by 2030.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026

Definition of undernourished

Adjective

Parched fields force hydroponic growers, vegetable farmers and fruit producers to halt harvests, sell off underfed livestock at rock-bottom prices and even return to mechanic jobs to survive.

— Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
What began as a niche repertory experiment now spans nearly 100 theaters across 73 cities and eight countries, suggesting the Cinematheque’s gleefully nihilistic concept has tapped into a seriously underfed audience.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2026

Definition of underfed

Browse Nearby Words

malls

malnourished

malnutrition

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Malnourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malnourished. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of malnourished

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loath

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes