developing

/dɪˈveləpɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈveləpɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈve-lə-piŋ dē-/ (ame, mw)

developing — adjective

  • developingpositive
  • more developingcomparative
  • most developingsuperlative

1. describes a country or region that is building up its industries, roads, schools

1.形容詞B1
釋義

describes a country or region that is building up its industries, roads, schools, and other services, and has a lower average income than the wealthiest nations

例句

Mira spent two years teaching English in a developing country before starting medical school.

collocation: developing country

The bank has created a special fund for small businesses in developing nations.

collocation: developing nations

同義詞
  • emerging

    more positive tone, often used for economies with rapid recent growth (e.g. 'emerging markets')

  • industrializing

    narrower meaning — focuses specifically on building manufacturing, not public services or education

  • third-world

    older term, now considered dated and often inaccurate; some speakers find it offensive

反義詞
  • developed

    describes a wealthy, industrialised nation with modern infrastructure

  • advanced

    focuses on high technological and economic level

文法句型

developing + noun

用法筆記

Always placed before a noun. The noun is almost always a geographic or political term: country, nation, region, world, or economy. Avoid using this sense without a following noun — 'a developing area' is natural, but 'the area is developing' would express a different meaning (sense 2).

常見錯誤

❌Japan is a developing country.
✅Japan is a developed country.
💡'developing' describes countries still in the process of economic growth; wealthy industrialised nations are 'developed'.
❌The developing needs more help.
✅The developing country needs more help.
💡'developing' cannot stand alone as a noun in this sense.

2. gradually increasing in size, strength, skill, or complexity over time

2.形容詞B1
釋義

gradually increasing in size, strength, skill, or complexity over time

例句

Adina took classes every weekend to turn her drawing hobby into a developing skill.

collocation: developing skill

The police monitored the developing situation closely throughout the night.

collocation: developing situation

同義詞
  • growing

    broader and more common in everyday speech; works for both size and intensity

  • evolving

    suggests gradual change through stages rather than simple increase

  • emerging

    emphasises coming into view or existence rather than the process of getting stronger

反義詞
  • declining

    describes something that is getting smaller, weaker, or less important

  • fading

    implies losing strength, brightness, or relevance

文法句型

developing + noun

用法筆記

Frequently used with nouns describing changes, trends, or relationships: situation, crisis, friendship, skill, market, storm, trend. Unlike sense 1, the noun does not need to be geographic — any entity that can increase or improve over time works.

常見錯誤

❌The plant is developing taller every week.
✅The plant is growing taller every week.
💡'developing' implies increasing complexity or capability, not just physical size.