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developing country

American  

noun

  1. a country having a standard of living or level of industrial production well below that possible with financial or technical aid; a country that is not yet highly industrialized.


developing country British  

noun

  1. a nonindustrialized poor country that is seeking to develop its resources by industrialization

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of developing country

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

The Seattle-based waste service is geared toward people who worry their waste will end up in the landfill, or get exported to a developing country in Asia.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

As the first global AI meeting held in a developing country, the five-day summit has also been a chance for India to boost its position in the booming sector.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

In every developing country in which I have worked, fear lived just under the collective skin of the people.

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2025

Normally it would be a developing country, or perhaps the eurozone in the 2010s and infamously the UK in 2022.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2025

In a developing country like China it seemed to him probable that the ends of ming shêng could best be served in many fields by private enterprise.

From The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu I by Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony

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