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.

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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 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 This is what happens to a malnourished body. Pablo Robles, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025 The malnourished woman ran to a neighbor’s house and said she had been restrained in the man’s basement. Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for malnourished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malnourished
Adjective
  • Fueling your body inadequately will leave you feeling dissatisfied and undernourished.
    Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 10 Oct. 2025
  • In addition to dealing with mange, both puppies were undernourished and infested with intestinal worms.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The sensational turn in the case fueled breathless news coverage as the public became hungry for any revelation about the brothers’ motives or the dark secrets that had been festering inside the Menendez family home.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025
  • This familiar restaurant is a magnet for hungry thru hikers passing through town since it’s located directly on the Appalachian Trail.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Malnourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malnourished. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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