MALNOURISHED Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

malnourished

adjective

Definition of malnourished

as in starving

not eating enough food or not eating enough healthy food; poorly nourished The malnourished children were slowly nursed back to health.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of malnourished Day centers for the elderly are rife with scabies and anemia; the seniors are emaciated, malnourished, and unclean. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026 Additionally, 205 clinics used to feed malnourished kids have closed due to a lack of funding, according to UNICEF. — Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 Packets of fortified peanut paste that cost less than a dollar each can bring a malnourished child back from the brink of death within weeks. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Officers initially discovered more than 30 cats and kittens living in unsafe conditions aboard the vessel, with many appearing frightened and malnourished. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for malnourished

Recent Examples of Synonyms for malnourished

Adjective

The risk of a bad outcome is higher for people who are undernourished and unable to access supportive medical care.

— Kathryn H. Jacobsen, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
For the first time, the continent has overtaken Asia as the region with the largest number of hungry people, and nearly 60% of the world’s chronically undernourished people could live there by 2030.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026

Definition of undernourished

Adjective

Parched fields force hydroponic growers, vegetable farmers and fruit producers to halt harvests, sell off underfed livestock at rock-bottom prices and even return to mechanic jobs to survive.

— Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
What began as a niche repertory experiment now spans nearly 100 theaters across 73 cities and eight countries, suggesting the Cinematheque’s gleefully nihilistic concept has tapped into a seriously underfed audience.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2026

Definition of underfed

Adjective

Private investors often tell more diverse stories, take more risks and try to reach an audience that is hungry for content, said Lata Krishnan, a tech investor entering the Hollywood market.

— Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
The opening two contests couldn’t have gone much worse for the Hawks, and a hungry Sabres team awaits them in Buffalo on Saturday.

— Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of hungry

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malls

malnourished

malnutrition

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“Malnourished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malnourished. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of malnourished

adjective

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