development

[ dih-vel-uhp-muhnt ]

/ dɪˈvɛl əp mənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR development ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of developing; growth; progress: child development; economic development.

a significant consequence or event: recent developments in the field of science.

a developed or advanced state or form: Drama reached its highest development in the plays of Shakespeare.

Music. the part of a movement or composition in which a theme or themes are developed, or unfolded and elaborated, by various technical means, so as to reveal their inherent possibilities.

a large group of private houses or of apartment houses, often of similar design, constructed as a unified community, especially by a real-estate developer or government organization.

Chess. the act or process of developing chess pieces.

Mining. the work of digging openings, as tunnels, raises, and winzes, to give access to new workings, and of erecting necessary structures.

Nearby words

developing agent, developing country, developing nation, developing world, developing-out paper, development, development area, development education, development rights, development system, development well

Origin of development

1745–55; develop + -ment, or < French développement

SYNONYMS FOR development

1 expansion, elaboration, growth, evolution; unfolding, opening, maturing, maturation.

3 maturity, ripeness.

5 community, subdivision.

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ANTONYMS FOR development

1 deterioration, disintegration.

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Related forms

de·vel·op·men·tal, de·vel·op·men·ta·ry, adjectivede·vel·op·men·tal·ly, adverban·ti·de·vel·op·ment, adjectivehy·per·de·vel·op·ment, noun

hy·per·de·vel·op·men·tal, adjectivenon·de·vel·op·ment, nounnon·de·vel·op·men·tal, adjectivenon·de·vel·op·men·tal·ly, adverbpost·de·vel·op·men·tal, adjectivepre·de·vel·op·ment, nounself-de·vel·op·ment, nounsub·de·vel·op·ment, nounsu·per·de·vel·op·ment, nounun·de·vel·op·ment, nounun·de·vel·op·men·tal, adjectiveun·de·vel·op·men·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for developmental

But by and large I go over the same things for every developmental stage.
Kids Eat the Darndest Things: Laundry Pods, Teething Necklaces, and More Of The Weirdest Stuff Sending Kids to the E.R.|Russell Saunders|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What kind of employers hire people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)?
Hiring People With Disabilities Isn’t Just the Right Thing to Do—It’s Good for Business|Elizabeth Picciuto|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Essentially he is arguing that there are functional trade-offs in developmental biology.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel|Nick Romeo|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the standards of Syndrome Z, her developmental progress is remarkable.
Parents Sue for 'Wrongful Birth'|Elizabeth Picciuto|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

According to Sarah and Mark, she is 40 and has a developmental age of about 14.
Parents Sue for 'Wrongful Birth'|Elizabeth Picciuto|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pronephros is distinguished from the mesonephros by developmental as well as structural features.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
The matter of classification will be for several years in a condition of developmental change.
The Home Medical Library, Volume II (of VI)|Various
In this sense, his theory rests upon a more solid base than does the developmental theory of Digby.
Medical Investigation in Seventeenth Century England|Charles W. Bodemer
Theophrastus understood the value of developmental study, a conception derived from his master.
The Legacy of Greece|Various
This developmental process seems very improbable for many reasons.
Histology of the Blood|Paul Ehrlich

British Dictionary definitions for developmental

development

/ (dɪˈvɛləpmənt) /

noun

the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing

the product or result of developing

a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation

an area or tract of land that has been developed

Also called: development section the section of a movement, usually in sonata form, in which the basic musical themes are developed

chess

the process of developing pieces
the manner in which they are developed
the position of the pieces in the early part of a game with reference to their attacking potential or defensive efficiency

Derived Formsdevelopmental, adjectivedevelopmentally, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for developmental (1 of 2)

developmental

adj.

1849, from development + -al (1). Developmentalist (1862) was a word for "follower of the theory of evolution."

Word Origin and History for developmental (1 of 2)

development

1756, "an unfolding;" see develop + -ment. Of property, with the sense "bringing out the latent possibilities," from 1885 (Pickering's glossary of Americanisms, 1816, has betterments "The improvements made on new lands, by cultivation, and the erection of buildings, &c."). Meaning "state of economic advancement" is from 1902. Meaning "advancement through progressive stages" is 1836.

Medicine definitions for developmental

development

[ dĭ-vĕl′əp-mənt ]

n.

The act of developing.

The state of being developed.

A significant event, occurrence, or change.

The natural progression from a previous, simpler, or embryonic stage to a later, more complex, or adult stage.

Related formsde•vel′op•men′tal (-mĕn′tl) adj.

development

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of development

Examples from the Web for developmental

British Dictionary definitions for developmental

development

noun

Word Origin and History for developmental (1 of 2)

developmental

Word Origin and History for developmental (1 of 2)

development

Medicine definitions for developmental

development

n.