Malnutrition

noun (uncountable)

/ˌmælnjuːˈtrɪʃən/

A condition resulting from an unbalanced or insufficient diet, encompassing both undernutrition (stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies) and overnutrition (overweight, obesity).

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Despite buffer stocks overflowing under the public distribution system, persistent malnutrition among India's children exposes a paradox of plenty, where the challenge is not the availability of grain but the equitable delivery of balanced nutrition.

Synonyms

undernourishmentundernutritionmalnourishmentdietary deficiencystarvation

Antonyms

nourishmentgood nutritionwell-nourishmentnutritional adequacy

🌱 Word Family

malnourished (adj), malnutritious (adj), nutrition (n), nutritional (adj), undernourished (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin malus = bad (mal- prefix) + nūtrītiōnem = a nourishing; first recorded in English 1850s

📜 Etymology

From mal- (bad, from Latin malus) + nutrition (from Latin nūtrītiōnem, a nourishing); first recorded in English in the 1850s.

🧠 Memory Hook

Mal- means "bad" (as in malice, malfunction); so malnutrition is literally "bad nutrition" — nourishment gone wrong.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2018 — Biology
Prelims 2017 — Society & Social Issues
Prelims 2017 — Welfare Schemes
Mains 2024 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance
Mains 2021 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance
Mains 2021 · GS3 · 15 marks — Agriculture
Mains 2013 · GS3 · 10 marks — Agriculture / Economy

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Malnutrition” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚗️ General Science 📖 Seen in: Health, Nutrition & Disease — Public H...

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