underweight

[uhn-der-weyt, uhn-der-weyt]

adjective

1. weighing less than is usual, required, or proper.

noun

1. deficiency in weight below a standard or requirement.

underweight

/ ˌʌndəˈweɪt /

adjective

1. weighing less than is average, expected, or healthy

2. finance

   1. having a lower proportion of one's investments in a particular sector of the market than the size of that sector relative to the total market would suggest

   2. (of a fund etc) disproportionately invested in this way

      pension funds have become underweight of equities

Word History and Origins

Origin of underweight¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; under- + weight

Example Sentences

However, the current low volatility of U.S. equities pulls in the direction of a higher allocation, netting to a modest underweight.

Read more on Barron's

Though many kids aren’t without their picky eating habits, the child’s fussiness stems from a rare eating disorder, leaving her underweight and requiring a feeding tube that Linda must monitor daily.

Read more on Salon

When health experts used to refer to malnourished children, that was often read as those who were underweight.

Read more on BBC

He was also the first designer to ban underweight models from the runway, after the death of model Ana Carolina Reston in 2006 from anorexia nervosa.

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The 53-pound female mountain lion was slightly underweight and appeared to have been relatively healthy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• malnourished 
• starved www.thesaurus.com
• undernourished