undernourished

[uhn-der-nur-isht, -nuhr-]

adjective

1. not nourished with sufficient or proper food to maintain or promote health or normal growth.

2. not given essential elements for proper development.

   emotionally undernourished.

Other Word Forms

• undernourishment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of undernourished¹

First recorded in 1925–30; under- + nourish + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Most of the country is kept well hidden, with more than four in 10 people believed to be undernourished and needing help.

From BBC

He said he soon found himself in the same situation as the Filipinos – overworked and undernourished.

From BBC

"We believe this new model will help us investigate many of the major challenges facing undernourished children, including higher rates of infection and changes in cognitive development," said Cowardin, part of UVA's Department of Pediatrics.

From Science Daily

"The people on my operating table were undernourished. A lot of them were cachectic," she said, referring to people experiencing extreme weight loss and muscle wasting.

From BBC

The food system's reliance on undocumented and low-paid workers yields undernourished children who often are unable to learn.

From Salon

Related Words

• delicate 
• fragile 
• gaunt 
• lean 
• meager 
• narrow 
• skinny 
• slim 
• small 

When To Use

What does undernourished mean?

Undernourished is an adjective that means not provided with enough food or nutrients to grow and develop in a healthy way.It comes from the past tense of the verb undernourish, meaning to fail to provide (or intentionally withhold) enough food or nutrients.The verb nourish means to promote healthy growth—to provide enough of what’s needed for someone or something to be healthy and to grow and develop. Nourish is most commonly used in relation to food, but can be used in figurative ways that don’t involve food: education nourishes our minds; a vacation can nourish our spirit.Undernourish and undernourished can also be used in these figurative ways, but both are usually used in the context of nutrition, especially in relation to children who are not provided with enough nourishing food. The adjective malnourished is similar but is often used in more extreme cases involving malnutrition.It’s also possible to use undernourished in the context of other living things that require nutrients, such as plants.Example: If we fail to provide healthy lunches that are available to all children, we will end up with a lot of undernourished students.