undernourished

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

See more synonyms for undernourished on Thesaurus.com

adjective

not nourished with sufficient or proper food to maintain or promote health or normal growth.
not given essential elements for proper development: emotionally undernourished.

Origin of undernourished

First recorded in 1925–30; under- + nourish + -ed²

Related formsun·der·nour·ish·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for undernourished

skinny, lanky, bony, gaunt, slender, scrawny, angular, fragile, slim, lean, meager, delicate, small, narrow, undernourished, malnourished, emaciated, dying, hungry, anorexic

Examples from the Web for undernourished

Contemporary Examples of undernourished

“He was undernourished, not necessarily malnourished,” she said.
Obama Shut Out Congress for 2 Years About Bergdahl Deal, Key Senator Says
Tim Mak
June 3, 2014

Historical Examples of undernourished

What grace she had was an athlete's, but she looked overtrained or undernourished.
We Can't Have Everything
Rupert Hughes
The calf was undernourished and only weighed two tons when Paul got him.
The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan
W. B. Laughead
In their present undernourished condition the public could not face a defeat.
Germany, The Next Republic?
Carl W. Ackerman
If the nervous system is undernourished, it becomes disorganized and undeveloped.
Diet and Health
Lulu Hunt Peters
She had learned grammar, but no language; her soul was undernourished.
Look Back on Happiness
Knut Hamsun

Word Origin and History for undernourished

adj.

also under-nourished, 1910, from under + past participle of nourish.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper