Meaning & use
developed nation
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Meaning
nouncountable
A country with a strong, advanced economy, a high standard of living and well-established services such as healthcare, education and infrastructure.
Grammar: Countable: a developed nation, several developed nations.
Patterns
- a developed nation like something
- developed nations such as something
Most developed nations offer universal access to primary schooling.
Life expectancy is much higher in developed nations than it was a century ago.
Japan is often described as a developed nation with an aging population.
Word forms
| plural | developed nations |
|---|
Common combinations
- wealthy developed nation
- Even a wealthy developed nation can struggle with housing costs.
- leading developed nations
- The leading developed nations met to discuss climate targets.
- developed nations and developing countries
- Trade rules affect both developed nations and developing countries.
- become a developed nation
- South Korea became a developed nation within a few decades.
- in a developed nation
- Obesity is rising in many a developed nation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- developed country
- Developed country means the same thing, but nation can stress the people and government as well as the territory.
- industrialized nation
- Industrialized nation focuses on large-scale manufacturing, whereas developed nation covers living standards and services too.
- first-world country
- First-world country is an older, Cold War term that many people now consider dated.
- advanced economy
- Advanced economy refers only to the economic side, while developed nation covers the whole country.
Opposites
Word family
- develop verb
- to grow or become more advanced
- development noun
- the process of growing economically and socially
- developing adjective
- in the process of becoming more advanced, as in developing country
- underdeveloped adjective
- not yet advanced economically
Commonly confused: developed nation or developing nation?
developed nation vs developing nation
A developing nation has a lower income and is still building its economy and services, so it is not a synonym of developed nation.
Practice
Which of these is the best description of a developed nation?
Choose one answer.
A developed nation is defined by economic strength and living standards. Independence and population size are not what the term measures.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “developed nation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.