developing
Americanadjective
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undergoing development; growing; evolving.
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(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.
MIT engineers are developing a new spacecraft propulsion system that combines the strengths of traditional chemical rockets with the efficiency and precision of electric thrusters.
From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026
Xi said he had reached "an important consensus with Kim on developing China-DPRK relations in the new era", China's Xinhua news agency reported, using North Korea's official acronym.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Hit by a second energy crisis in four years, governments are developing a hoarder mentality.
From The Wall Street Journal • 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
The message suited Farmer temperamentally, because for all his scholarly understanding of developing nations’ problems, his strongest impulses were pragmatic.
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.
