underfeed
Give insufficient food
To underfeed is to give insufficient food or nourishment: The neglected animals had been chronically underfed.
The term extends to any situation where something receives less than it needs to function properly—an underfed fire dies down, an underfed engine sputters.
The past tense is underfed.
Insufficient dietary intake
- malnourishedLacking proper nutrition
- stuntedArrested in development
- wastingUsing poorly, inefficiently
- emaciationExtreme bodily thinness
Not sufficient for purpose
- meagerDeficient in quantity
- scantBarely adequate amount
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- paltryContemptibly meager
skimpy · shortage · lacking · deficient · limited · rations · portions · servings
Failure to exercise care
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- inattentionLack of focus
- carelessnessInattention causing mistakes
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
disregard · dereliction · failure · caregiver · mistreatment · deprivation · withholding · rationing
Weariness from prolonged exertion
- lethargyAbnormal drowsiness and apathy
- debilityImpaired strength or vitality
- frailtyWeakness of body
- exhaustionState of utter depletion
feebleness · enervation · listlessness · pallor · anemia · weakened · sickly · gaunt
undernourishment
Insufficient dietary intake
- malnourishedLacking proper nutrition
- stuntedArrested in development
- wastingUsing poorly, inefficiently
emaciation · cachexia · underweight · micronutrient · deficiency
inadequate
Not sufficient for purpose
paltry · skimpy · shortage · lacking · deficient · limited · rations · portions · servings · sustenance
negligence
Failure to exercise care
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- inattentionLack of focus
- carelessnessInattention causing mistakes
oversight · disregard · dereliction · failure · caregiver · mistreatment · deprivation · withholding · rationing · stinting
fatigue
Weariness from prolonged exertion
exhaustion · feebleness · enervation · listlessness · pallor · anemia · weakened · sickly · gaunt · depleted
starving
Suffering extreme hunger
cravings · pangs · gnawing · growling · unsatisfied · peckish · hungry · unfulfilled