stunted

American  

[stuhn-tid] / ˈstʌn tɪd /

adjective

1. slowed or stopped abnormally in growth or development.

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Other Word Forms

• stuntedness
  noun
• unstunted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stunted

First recorded in 1650–60; stunt ¹ + -ed ²

Explanation

If something is stunted, it's been prevented from growing or developing to its full potential. After a hot, dry summer, there's nothing left in your vegetable garden but a few stunted tomato plants. Stunted things are scrawny, like the tiny runt in a litter of puppies. A lack of sun in your yard will result in stunted roses and daisies, and malnourishment can lead to stunted growth in humans. People can also be emotionally stunted if they aren't nurtured and encouraged to express their feelings. Stunted comes from the verb stunt, "prevent from growing or developing properly."

Example Sentences

Stunted growth had previously been linked with poor cognitive outcomes later in life, but this is the first time that this association has been found in infancy.

From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2023

Stunted vampirism is less of a problem for Guillermo than his realization that he's committed a crime punishable by death by going behind Nandor's back to be made by another vampire.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2023

Stunted trees, rendered with a few slashes of black.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2022

Stunted and pale, many appear to have cognitive issues and nerve damage.

From The Guardian • Jan. 20, 2018

Stunted stalks of corn, just waist-high, their leaves already russet colored and curling in on themselves, stretched forlornly in broken rows across parched, brown fields.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown