developmental

adjective

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

1

a

: 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

developmentally

dē-ˌve-ləp-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

adverb

Synonyms of developmental

• experimental
• investigative

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

And he’s trained by Clint Parks, who has worked with numerous past SDSU players and regularly speaks highly of the program’s developmental capacity. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Therapists work on-site with children to help foster critical language skills, reduce behavioral problems and work on developmental milestones. — Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

And this theme was actually picked up by people in developmental psychology, especially, Mike Frank at Stanford, who wrote this paper about how AI people should take some inspiration from the study of babies and young children, developmental psych. — Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026

Prunty brings speed to the secondary that perhaps only Christian Gonzalez can match and has a good argument to make the roster as a developmental outside corner. — Chad Graff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing developmental

• developmental biology
• developmental disability
• developmental disorder
• evolutionary developmental biology
• pervasive developmental disorder

Rhymes for developmental

• coincidental
• environmental
• experimental
• intersegmental
• nongovernmental
• transcontinental
• unsentimental
• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental

Kids Definition

developmental

adjective

de·​vel·​op·​men·​tal -ˌvel-əp-ˈment-əl 

: of or relating to development

developmentally

-əl-ē 

adverb