developing
Americanadjective
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undergoing development; growing; evolving.
-
(of a nation or geographical area) having a standard of living or level of industrial production well below that possible with financial or technical aid; not yet highly industrialized.
the developing world.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of developing
Explanation
Use the adjective developing to describe a country that's relatively poor and has a lower standard of living than most other countries in the world. There's not a specific standard for calling a country developing, but there are some societies that most of the world agrees are less industrialized than most. Developing countries generally have poorer people and a less vibrant economy than more developed countries. Some countries object to being called developing, since it implies that all countries want to become "developed," or more Western in their economy and government, which is not necessarily true.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"By identifying an internal brake that had until now gone unrecognized and by developing antibodies capable of neutralizing it, our researchers are offering an innovative solution to the limitations of current treatments," he said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Waters requested information by July 3 about their efforts—including what kinds of AI frameworks the firms are developing on their own, and whether they may now require enhanced security measures.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Getting more satellites into low-Earth orbit is critical for AST SpaceMobile, which is working on developing a service rivaling SpaceX’s Starlink, among other competitors.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Last month Aeralis, a British aerospace company that was developing a replacement for the famous Red Arrows fighter jet, went into administration.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
The beach was on an island where an evil mad scientist was developing a laser beam that could blast satellites out of the sky.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
