as in starving
not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food; poorly nourished
The malnourished children were slowly nursed back to health.
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Recent Examples of malnourished
When the malnourished cubs were found, the UC Davis California Carnivores Program team worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to rescue the pair, the nonprofit said.
—
Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Even after deliveries resumed, much of the population remained dangerously malnourished.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
Undernutrition deaths happen ‘almost every month’ Hassan Abubakar Bukar, a nutrition counsellor in Borno, told CNN that malnourished children are a painfully common sight.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
The World Health Organization recommends that acutely malnourished children be fed energy-dense foods, such as nut butters and sweet potatoes, and sometimes these can be found locally.
—Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Even after deliveries resumed, much of the population remained dangerously malnourished.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
Undernutrition deaths happen ‘almost every month’ Hassan Abubakar Bukar, a nutrition counsellor in Borno, told CNN that malnourished children are a painfully common sight.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
The World Health Organization recommends that acutely malnourished children be fed energy-dense foods, such as nut butters and sweet potatoes, and sometimes these can be found locally.
—Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malnourished
Adjective
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Frail, undernourished, lacking sufficient clothing, and shoeless, Kammo is overburdened by chores and in constant fear of chastisement.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
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Fueling your body inadequately will leave you feeling dissatisfied and undernourished.—
Jamie Johnson,
Verywell Health,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So last Monday, after scrolling through news of the government shutdown and with nothing else planned for the day, the couple decided to fire up their Pit Boss pellet grill and feed anyone who was hungry, no questions asked.—
Sean Clancy,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Voter anger over the cost of living is hurtling forward into next year’s midterm elections, when pivotal contests will be decided by communities that are home to fast-rising electric bills or fights over who’s footing the bill to power Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malnourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malnourished. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.
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