- present participle of develop.
developing
Americanadjective
-
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
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.
"He's resisting that entirely, but because he's resisting it, he's not part of that particular debate in terms of developing new ideas," Shea said.
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
The Swiss pharmaceutical company said it would purchase the privately held U.K.-based biotechnology firm, which is developing a new class of antibody-drug conjugates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
They also claimed Jolie’s sale threatened the reputation and value of the winery business that Pitt had spent years developing.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
There, another paleontologist had shown him fossilized wasp cocoons, which are small mud chambers where developing larvae mature into adults.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
Ninety-five percent of cases reported were in the developing world.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
