Body and weight · Health
underweight
below healthy weight
Someone who is underweight weighs less than is usually considered healthy for their height.
This vs that
He was underweight after his illness.
He was overweight before his illness.
Hear it in real life
Is your sister all right?
She's underweight, but the doctor is helping her gain weight safely.
He was underweight after several months of illness and needed help building his strength again.
Which sounds natural?
Psst — which one would you actually say?
'Underweight' is the ordinary neutral term in a health context.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: She is under weighted for her height.
Say: She is underweight for her height.
Use the single adjective 'underweight'.
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
be underweight
Phrases to borrow
More for talking about body and weight.
watch your weight
I'm trying to watch my weight this year.
be on the slim side
She's always been on the slim side.
Body and weight words
Health · Body and weight: the words around “underweight”.
More connectionsMore body and weight words7
More body and weight words
Your turn: say it out loud
He's underweight for his height.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
underweight
below healthy weight
“He was underweight after several months of illness and needed help building his strength again.”
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