undernourished
Americanadjective
-
not nourished with sufficient or proper food to maintain or promote health or normal growth.
-
not given essential elements for proper development.
emotionally undernourished.
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- undernourishment noun
Etymology
Origin of undernourished
Compare meaning
How does undernourished compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing undernourished
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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.
The boys, ages 23 and 16, one dangerously undernourished and both claiming to have been raised “off the grid” in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, showed up in town and immediately caused a rift.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
With Jacobsen in hand, I feel undernourished after every meal.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025
When someone is underweight or undernourished, the immediate goal is medical stability—even if it means relying entirely on “safe foods” to get there.
From Slate • Jan. 4, 2025
“We always mention that malnutrition isn't just being undernourished, it's also overnourished also overweight and obese children, and very difficult to diet,” explains Dr Silvestre.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2024
The roads were unpaved and dirty, and filled with hungry, undernourished children scampering around half-naked.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
