VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

developed

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/dɪˈveləpt/
US/dɪˈveləpt/

Meanings

  1. adjectivenot comparable

    Having advanced industry, technology, services, and living standards.

    Grammar: Often before a noun: developed countries; contrast with developing or underdeveloped.

    Patterns

    • developed country
    • developed economy
    • the developed world

    Many developed countries face aging populations.

    The firm sells most of its software in developed markets.

  2. adjectivenot comparable

    Grown, matured, or formed to a full or advanced state.

    Grammar: Used for bodies, skills, systems, or places: fully developed lungs.

    Patterns

    • fully developed
    • developed skill
    • badly developed

    The fetus has a fully developed heart by this stage.

    Her ideas were already developed enough to test in class.

  3. adjectivenot comparabletechnical

    Of film or photographs, chemically processed so the image appears.

    Grammar: Mainly attributive in photography: developed film.

    Patterns

    • developed film
    • developed photographs

    The developed film revealed a blurry figure near the door.

    We picked up the developed photographs after lunch.

Common combinations

developed country
Japan is a developed country with high-speed rail and advanced medicine.
highly developed
The region has a highly developed network of clinics.
developed world
Internet use is nearly universal in much of the developed world.
fully developed
The storm became fully developed over the warm sea.

Synonyms and how they differ

industrialized
Closest for economies, but it stresses manufacturing industry rather than services.
advanced
Best for technology, systems, or skills; less natural for whole nations.
mature
Works for growth or markets, not for the developed/developing country contrast.

Opposites

developingunderdevelopedundeveloped

Word family

develop verb
To grow, create, or become more advanced.
development noun
The process of growing or improving.
developing adjective
Still growing in industry, economy, or maturity.

Commonly confused: developed or developing? developed or overdeveloped?

developed vs developing

Developed means already advanced; developing means still growing or industrializing.

developed vs overdeveloped

Overdeveloped suggests excess or too much growth, not simply advanced.

Practice

Which phrase is the natural collocation?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “developed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words