Definition

Verb (transitive): To provide a person, animal, or plant with insufficient food or nutrients to maintain proper health, growth, and development. It implies a chronic lack of adequate nourishment.

Usage

The verb "undernourish" is used to describe the action of causing someone or something to suffer from undernourishment. It is typically used in passive constructions (e.g., "to be undernourished") or in formal, often technical, contexts discussing health, agriculture, or social conditions.

Examples

• The prolonged drought has undernourished the cattle, leaving them weak.
• A diet consisting only of rice can undernourish a growing child.
• The patient was severely undernourished when admitted to the hospital.
• These crops are undernourished because the soil lacks essential minerals.

Advanced Usage

• "Undernourished" as an Adjective: The past participle "undernourished" is very commonly used as an adjective to describe the state of someone who has not received enough nourishment.
  • The aid program focuses on helping undernourished infants.

Variants and Related Words

• Undernourishment (noun): The state or condition resulting from being undernourished.
  • Chronic undernourishment can lead to developmental delays.
• Malnourish (verb): A broader term that includes both undernourishment (lack of food) and malnutrition (lack of proper nutrients, which can occur even with enough food).
• Underfeed (verb): To give too little food to. It is more specific to the quantity of food, whereas "undernourish" can relate to both quantity and quality.

Synonyms

• Starve (in a non-extreme sense)
• Underfeed
• Deprive of nourishment

Antonyms

• Nourish
• Feed well
• Nurture

Verb

1. provide with insufficient quality or quantity of nourishment
   • The stunted growth of these children shows that they are undernourished