stunted
stunted — adjective
1. describes a living thing that is much smaller than normal because it did not get
describes a living thing that is much smaller than normal because it did not get enough food, light, or care during its development
The stunted apple trees in the rocky soil never produced more than a few tiny fruits.
adj before noun: stunted + noun
Years of poor nutrition left the village children with stunted bodies and weak bones.
caused by poor nutrition
The stunted bushes along the coast had been twisted by constant salt winds into strange shapes.
Rescue workers found a stunted puppy hiding underneath the collapsed wooden shed.
- dwarfed
focuses on being kept small, often intentionally or through natural limits
- undersized
simply describes being below average size, without the implication of hindered development
- withered
suggests drying up or shrivelling, not just small size
- full-grown
having reached normal adult size
- flourishing
growing vigorously and healthily
用法筆記
Most commonly used to describe plants, trees, or body parts that have not reached their expected size.
常見錯誤
stunted — verb
1. to stop something from growing, developing, or improving as it normally would by
to stop something from growing, developing, or improving as it normally would by creating unfavourable conditions
Lack of sunlight stunted the tomato plants in the small north-facing garden.
stunt + noun (plant) as direct object
Constant moving during childhood stunted the twins' ability to form lasting friendships.
Poor funding has stunted the hospital's plans to build a new children's wing.
The severe drought badly stunted the wheat harvest across the southern plains.
Dr. Okonkwo warned that high lead levels in the water could stunt children's brain development.
文法句型
stunt + noun phrase
用法筆記
The subject is often a negative environmental factor (drought, poor nutrition, disease) or lack of resources. Frequently used in passive voice: 'The crop was stunted by early frost.'
常見錯誤
2. to perform dangerous or skilful physical actions, especially as part of a movie,
to perform dangerous or skilful physical actions, especially as part of a movie, show, or sport event
The motorcycle rider stunted across the parking lot, popping a wheelie for the cheering crowd.
stunt as intransitive verb: [subject] + stunted + location phrase
The stunt pilot stunted above the airfield, looping and rolling through the morning sky.
用法筆記
⚠️ Note: different word. This sense of stunt (to perform daring feats) comes from a different origin than the hinder-growth sense and has no etymological connection. Both are included here from the source dictionary even though they are separate words.
stunted — noun
1. a living thing, especially an animal or plant, that is much smaller than normal
a living thing, especially an animal or plant, that is much smaller than normal because of poor conditions during its development
The zookeeper separated the stunted from the healthy animals for supplementary feeding.
nominalized adjective: 'the stunted' used as a noun
Among the rescued, the stunted required more nutritional care than the others.
用法筆記
Uncommon in everyday conversation. More often used in scientific or agricultural writing to refer to a specific specimen.
2. a condition in which the normal increase in size or development of a living thin
a condition in which the normal increase in size or development of a living thing is slowed down or stopped
The paediatrician diagnosed the child's growth stunting as a result of a hormone imbalance.
noun form: 'growth stunting'
The farming report noted widespread stunting of corn across the Midwest after the early frost.
用法筆記
This noun sense is technical and rarely appears outside medical or agricultural reports. Not interchangeable with the more common adjective sense.
3. a plant disease, especially affecting crops like corn or rice, that causes the p
a plant disease, especially affecting crops like corn or rice, that causes the plant to stay much smaller than healthy plants of the same type
Farmers in the region lost nearly half their corn yield to maize stunting last season.
disease name: 'maize stunting'
The plant pathologist identified the disease as a fungal stunting common in wet climates.
用法筆記
Used as a countable or uncountable disease name in agriculture: 'maize stunting', 'rice stunting'. Not the same as the general noun for a stunted organism.