malnourished
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of malnourished
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How does malnourished compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When someone's malnourished, they don't get enough to eat. Beyond simply being hungry, someone who's malnourished doesn't get the nutrients they need to be healthy. Poor countries and those experiencing drought or war are the most likely to have a high percentage of malnourished citizens. If crops can't grow, or food can't be distributed to people who need it, the result is a malnourished population. A malnourished person suffers from malnutrition. Both words use the mal- prefix, meaning "badly," and the Latin root nutrire, "to feed."
Vocabulary lists containing malnourished
Among the Hidden
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Between Shades of Gray
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The War That Saved My Life
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“If they’re malnourished, they’re going to get sicker. If their parents don’t get affordable care, they’re going to be strapped. It becomes a synergistic and multiplicative cascade.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026
Outside the capital city, North Korea remains poor, with nearly half of its 26 million residents malnourished, according to a U.N. report.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Saturday its goal was "to help all malnourished children and mothers", after the United Nations warned that millions would experience acute malnutrition this year.
From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026
That’s when so much critical development takes place, and children who are malnourished can never make up the loss.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
Soiled and subdued, she looked like a small malnourished relative of my previous sister.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
