- 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.
Boeing BA 0.95%increase; up pointing triangle spent another quarter in the red as it poured more resources into developing new presidential jets and accelerating production of commercial planes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But that has fuelled concerns over overheating, and questions over when the eye-watering amounts ploughed into developing AI and building new data centres will reap returns.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Women and people with overweight or obesity also tend to have a greater risk of developing these conditions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Sometimes known as "Doctor Death", he became famous for developing a technique called plastination, by which fluids and fatty tissue in corpses are replaced by rubber and polymers.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Marine archaeologists also use side-scan sonar for developing nautical charts, locating underwater hazards, and mapping the seafloor.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
