What does malnutrition mean?
Word: Malnutrition
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Malnutrition means poor health caused by not eating enough food or not getting the right kinds of food.
Synonyms: hunger
Antonyms: nourishment
How do you spell malnutrition?
Syllables: mal - nu - tri - tion
Tricky part: The sh sound near the end is written t, not c or s.
Watch out for: malnutricion, malnutrision, malnoutrition
Memory tip: Think of the ending as a little railway station: t-i-o-n, the same letters as in station.
Malnutrition in a sentence
Example 1: Mid-day meals in schools help fight malnutrition among children.
Example 2: A diet short of iron and protein can lead to malnutrition.
Example 3: The vet said the stray puppy was weak from malnutrition.
Fun Fact
Malnutrition does not only mean too little food. The World Health Organization also counts missing vitamins and minerals, and even being overweight from a poor diet, as forms of malnutrition.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) mallnutrition
b) nutritious
c) nourishment
d) deficiency
Show answer
a) mallnutrition. Mal has one l, as in malfunction.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
malnutrition
a) sleeplessness
b) indigestion
c) undernourishment
d) dehydration
Show answer
c) undernourishment. Undernourishment means not getting enough good food, which is the sense of malnutrition.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
maln_tr_tion
a) o,i
b) a,i
c) u,e
d) u,i
Show answer
d) u,i. Nu-tri-tion: u first, then i.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
rnuatlimiont
a) malformation
b) nutritional
c) multinational
d) malnutrition
Show answer
d) malnutrition. Nutritional leaves the m unused, multinational needs a second a, and malformation needs an f.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the best way to prevent malnutrition?
a) drinking juice instead of meals
b) eating only rice at every meal
c) skipping breakfast to save time
d) eating a balanced diet every day
Show answer
d) eating a balanced diet every day
2. Strong bones need which vitamin, made by our skin in sunlight?
a) vitamin K
b) vitamin D
c) vitamin A
d) vitamin C
Show answer
b) vitamin D
