developmental

adjective

de·vel·op·men·tal | \ dē-ˌve-ləp-ˈmen-tᵊl

Definition of developmental

1a : of, relating to, or being development developmental processes developmental biology broadly : experimental sense 2 developmental aircraft

b : serving economic development developmental highways

2 : designed to assist growth or bring about improvement (as of a skill) developmental toys

Other Words from developmental Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about developmental

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of developmental in a Sentence

A drop in temperature can slow the plant's developmental process. a child with developmental abnormalities My theory is still in its developmental stage.

Recent Examples on the Web

They are now taught in the academy how best to interact with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and a program created in Saylor’s memory teaches people with disabilities to serve as educators in law enforcement training. — Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, "Settlement reached in police-custody death of man with Down syndrome," 24 Apr. 2018 Mobile Arc has provided for the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the community for more than 60 years. — AL.com, "Things to do in Mobile, Feb. 4-10," 4 Feb. 2018 She's been pursuing her mission with vigor as of late, from meeting with developmental neuroscientists to designing a conceptual garden. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Wears a Green Dress from Beulah London on a Visit to Family-Focused Charity," 22 Jan. 2019 Former Oak Ridge basketball standout Antonio Blakeney was named Most Valuable Player of the NBA G League after averaging 32 points per game for the Windy City Bulls, the developmental team for the Chicago Bulls. — Buddy Collings, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Antonio Blakeney is NBA G-League MVP," 7 Apr. 2018 Creative Growth was founded in 1974, and is the first studio in the world to support people with developmental disabilities. — Michaela Bechler, Vogue, "Method Soap Bottles Get a Colorful Makeover Thanks to Oakland’s Creative Growth Art Center," 5 Feb. 2019 Yet there is no sudden point of departure from one developmental stage to the next. — David P. Barash, WSJ, "‘Becoming Human’ Review: The Defining Neediness of Humans," 11 Jan. 2019 The problem was not that serious at first, as the aircraft is still in the developmental stages and only a handful of pilots are flying the plane. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Navy Is Fixing a Serious, Six-Year-Old Bug in the F-35 Fighter Helmet," 30 Aug. 2018 Writing in the journal eLife in 2017, neuroscientists found that this preference appears to be seated in the spinal cord, which, at that developmental stage, is not even connected to the motor cortex, the brain’s movement control center. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Was Science Wrong About Being Right?," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'developmental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.