developmental
adjective
de·vel·op·men·tal
dē-ˌve-ləp-ˈmen-tᵊl 
1
a
: of, relating to, or being development
developmental processes
developmental biology
b
: serving economic development
developmental highways
2
: designed to assist growth or bring about improvement (as of a skill)
developmental toys
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
For the few in Colorado’s building who’ve passed through the ECHL on their way to a first-place NHL team, experiences like that color the sympathy and disappointment felt as a players strike looms in the developmental professional league.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
That’s why the researchers are now hunkering down in their labs to trace out the molecular processes that would have to operate for a father’s here-and-now experience to be transferred as developmental instructions to his partner’s egg.
—Ivan Amato, Quanta Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
The final three-game stretch should allow the Chiefs to give their younger, developmental players extended playing time.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
Rigorous studies that establish causal relationships take years, and developmental impacts can take even longer to surface.
—Dr. Dana Suskind, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for developmental
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Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
That’s why the researchers are now hunkering down in their labs to trace out the molecular processes that would have to operate for a father’s here-and-now experience to be transferred as developmental instructions to his partner’s egg.
—Ivan Amato, Quanta Magazine, 22 Dec. 2025
The final three-game stretch should allow the Chiefs to give their younger, developmental players extended playing time.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
Rigorous studies that establish causal relationships take years, and developmental impacts can take even longer to surface.
—Dr. Dana Suskind, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for developmental
Cite this Entry
“Developmental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/developmental. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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