- 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.
Before Jupp took up her role in documentaries, she had moved to the US and was a senior member of the BBC's AI team, developing and leading the BBC's approach to artificial intelligence.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
"We don't know how to prevent them from developing goals of their own," beyond their creators' control, Coxon explained, "and we don't have the safeguards to prevent them from acting on these goals."
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Chesapeake was the primary funder of the first boathouse on a seven-mile stretch of river on the outskirts of downtown, and it supported developing a sports program to foster a rowing-and-paddling community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
They’re even developing a routine: spending the night on the branches of a roost tree before following each other in flight at dawn, according to a Friends of Big Bear Valley Facebook post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
These were interests that I worked on developing.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
