Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Properly nourished: Being in a state of having received adequate and appropriate food and nutrients for good health and growth. This describes a person or animal whose dietary needs are sufficiently met.

Usage

• The adjective well-nourished is used to describe the physical condition resulting from good nutrition. It is typically placed before a noun (attributive) or after a linking verb like 'be', 'look', or 'appear' (predicative).
• It describes a state, not an action. It is the opposite of being malnourished or undernourished.

Examples

• Attributive (before a noun):
  • The well-nourished children had plenty of energy for their studies and play.
  • A well-nourished population is a key indicator of a nation's public health.
• Predicative (after a linking verb):
  • Despite the scarcity, the baby appeared well-nourished.
  • To perform at your peak, it is essential to be well-nourished.

Advanced Usage

• Comparative and Superlative Forms: While "more well-nourished" and "most well-nourished" are grammatically correct, in practice, the concept is often treated as a binary state (either well-nourished or not). However, comparisons can be made.
  • After switching to a balanced diet, she became the most well-nourished she had ever been.
• Used in Formal and Medical Contexts: This term is common in healthcare, nutrition science, and socio-economic reports.
  • The study compared the immune systems of well-nourished and malnourished individuals.

Variants and Related Words

• Nourish (verb): To provide with the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.
  • Parents strive to nourish their children properly.
• Nourishment (noun): The food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.
  • The soil provides nourishment for the plants.
• Well-fed (adjective): Having plenty of food to eat. This is similar but can sometimes imply simply having enough quantity of food, whereas well-nourished specifically implies quality and balance of nutrients.
• Malnourished (adjective): Suffering from a lack of proper nutrition.

Synonyms

• Healthy (in the context of diet and physical condition)
• Properly fed
• Adequately nourished

Antonyms

• Malnourished
• Undernourished
• Underfed

Related Phrases

• To nourish well: This is a verbal phrase meaning to feed someone adequately and healthily.
  • It is a parent's duty to nourish their child well.
• State of nourishment: A formal phrase referring to the condition of one's nutrition.
  • The doctor assessed the patient's state of nourishment.

Adjective

1. properly nourished