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
Back then, prisoners often became malnourished after spending time behind bars, and tofu was a cheap source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
—
Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Food prices probably would have been a lot higher, the number of people who are malnourished would have been greater, and even more millions of acres of forest would have been transformed into fields.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
While Diana has lost her food packages and is often hungry, she is not considered malnourished, according to Pastor Billy and Mukuka.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 13 June 2025
He’s cared for by Gareth Thomas, a Volunteer Pangolin Walker who treats the malnourished pangopup as his own.
—Dina Gachman, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Food prices probably would have been a lot higher, the number of people who are malnourished would have been greater, and even more millions of acres of forest would have been transformed into fields.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
While Diana has lost her food packages and is often hungry, she is not considered malnourished, according to Pastor Billy and Mukuka.
—Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 13 June 2025
He’s cared for by Gareth Thomas, a Volunteer Pangolin Walker who treats the malnourished pangopup as his own.
—Dina Gachman, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malnourished
Adjective
-
This, in a neighborhood with lots of undernourished children.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
10 July 2025
-
Zinc supplementation increases height in both healthy and undernourished children.1920 Zinc affects growth in multiple ways, namely by influencing growth hormone metabolism.—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
At the time, Alexx was an independent creative hungry to make his mark, while Weezy was a rising voice in podcasting still figuring out her next steps.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 July 2025
-
Wall Street is hungry for the Snack Wrap: The return of the popular McDonald’s menu item has fueled a stock market surge for the fast food chain.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malnourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malnourished. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share