undernourished

undernourished — adjective

1. describes a person or animal whose body has not received the quantity of food ne

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a person or animal whose body has not received the quantity of food needed to maintain proper health or normal growth

Example

The report showed that many undernourished children in Guatemala struggle to concentrate in class.

attributive: undernourished + [person noun]

Selim looked undernourished after he lost his job and could not afford groceries.

predicative: look + undernourished

Common collocations
  • undernourished child / children
  • undernourished population
  • undernourished patient
  • undernourished animal
Synonyms
  • malnourished

    Focuses more on poor diet quality or lack of specific nutrients; undernourished emphasizes insufficient quantity

  • underfed

    More informal and direct; often used for animals or children

  • starved

    Much stronger; suggests a life-threatening, extreme lack of food

Antonyms
  • well-nourished

    Describes a person receiving enough food to maintain good health

  • well-fed

    Informal; having had plenty to eat

Grammar Patterns

attributive: undernourished + noun

predicative: be/seem/look + undernourished

Usage Note

Common in health and nutrition contexts. Contrasts with hungry, which describes a short-term need for food rather than a long-term physical condition.

Common Mistakes

I skipped lunch and felt undernourished all afternoon.
I skipped lunch and felt hungry all afternoon.
'undernourished' describes a chronic state of insufficient food intake, not a brief feeling of hunger.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe a lack of food, but differ in degree and focus. Undernourished is a clinical term for someone whose body has not received enough food quantity over time to stay healthy. Malnourished is broader — it includes eating enough food but lacking vital nutrients (vitamins, protein, minerals). Underfed is simpler and less formal, often used about animals or children who are given too little food. Starved signals a life-threatening, severe shortage of food. Hungry is the mildest: a temporary feeling of needing food, not a chronic state. For example: a child who misses breakfast is hungry; a child who rarely gets enough to eat is undernourished; a child who eats only rice with no protein may be malnourished.

undernourished ↗malnourishedunderfedstarvedhungry ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • suffering from undernourishment
  • at risk of being undernourished

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed from the prefix under- (meaning 'below what is sufficient') and nourished, the past participle of nourish, which comes from Latin nutrire meaning 'to feed or nurture'. The word entered English in the late 1800s, originally used in medical writing about public health and malnutrition.