- 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.
Alliance members, including SpaceX, Microsoft and Palantir, are developing open-source programs to help companies fend off AI cyberattacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 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
Alongside its blockbuster cancer drugs, the company has been investing in developing a weight-loss treatment.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Beijing has also heavily invested in developing massive "drone-swarm" tactics.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
This was the first time she'd seen her like this, and she started to apologize, but Brigit was already in her trance, hands moving, a beautiful tapestry developing in her lap.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
