Stopped from growing as big or as fully as it should have. A stunted tree stayed small because it had no light; a plant is stunted by poor soil; in serious writing, children who do not get enough food may be stunted in their growth — this is a real medical term, used by doctors and aid agencies, so handle it with care when talking about people.

Stopped from growing as big or as fully as it should have指被阻止長到應有的大小或完整程度。A stunted tree stayed small because it had no light一棵stunted樹因為沒有陽光而長不大；a plant is stunted by poor soil植物因為土壤不好而stunted；in serious writing正式一點的寫法裡，children who do not get enough food may be stunted in their growth吃不飽的孩子可能會stunted in their growth發育受阻——this is a real medical term, used by doctors and aid agencies這是醫生和救援機構使用的正式醫學用語，so handle it with care when talking about people講到人的時候要小心用。

English also uses it for things that are not alive: stunted growth in an economy, a stunted career, a stunted friendship, someone's stunted emotional development.

English also uses it for things that are not alive英文也用它來講沒有生命的東西：stunted growth in an economy經濟裡的stunted growth成長受阻、a stunted careera stunted career受阻的事業、a stunted friendshipa stunted friendship停滯不前的友情、someone's stunted emotional developmentsomeone's stunted emotional development某人受阻的情感發展。

In every case the important idea is not simply 'small' — it is 'smaller than it was meant to be, because something got in the way'. That sense of interrupted potential is the whole word.

In every case the important idea is not simply 'small'每一種情況重要的概念都不只是「小」——it is 'smaller than it was meant to be, because something got in the way'而是「比原本應該的樣子還要小，因為有什麼東西擋在中間」。That sense of interrupted potential is the whole word那種「潛力被打斷」的感覺，就是這個字的全部。

It leans formal to neutral, and it almost always implies a cause, even when the cause is not named.

It leans formal to neutral它的語氣偏正式到中性，and it almost always implies a cause而且幾乎都暗示著有個原因，even when the cause is not named即使沒有講出那個原因是什麼。