underfed
3
3.4
- adjective
- /ˌʌndərˈfɛd/
:
desnutrido
- Teachers didn't have to deal with kids who were underfed or whose parents were addicted to something.
- underfed children
- look underfed
- underfed and overworked
Examples
-
Their clothes are ragged, and they look underfed.
Fiction book (1997) -
You're looking a little underfed.
-
Most are underfed, mistreated, kept in filthy living conditions, and have never been to school.
Academic text (2008) -
We're an underfed community.
-
Your dogs are underfed.
-
Thousands of American women, overworked, underfed, are dying, giving birth to anemic children who can't last out a year.
-
But the authorities were unable to meet their deadlines, and the move was postponed several times, leaving the population without crops, underfed, and dependent upon food relief.
Academic text (1992) -
Gup was a woeful sight, pale and pinched, with dark circles under her eyes, underfed and overworked.
Fiction book (2002) -
Underfed chicks often seek company and he's teamed up with neighbors Bruiser and Butch.
-
Many children in the developing country are underfed and need proper nutrition to survive.
Synonyms
8
3.1
Very thin and below a healthy weight for their age and height
4
5.6
A person or animal that does not have enough food and is weak
1
4.4
Not having enough food to stay healthy and grow
1
5.5
Not getting enough food to stay healthy
Not having enough food or nutrients to grow and stay healthy
Antonyms
How Well Fed
Surface Forms
Morphology
underfed = fed (transparent) = under + fed
Formed by adding the productive prefix 'under-' to 'fed' (past participle of 'feed'), so learners can infer 'not sufficiently fed'.
Etymology
Underfed combines under ('not enough' or 'below') and fed from feed ('give food'), so it describes a person or animal who has not had enough to eat.